Author: Kim

Balance

Published on by Kim1 Comment

So, we’ve talked about resets between trips out of the house. We also have heard about the “clean kitchen at night” routine and think that would be nice. We love the thought of coming home or waking up to a clean house, but who has the energy?

Sometimes this is just complaining. We all have the days where we just need to suck it up and get it done. Life is full of hard work, and hard work is hard.

Then again, sometimes this is a red flag.

If we are too busy from running all over to cover the basic responsibilities of life, perhaps we are too busy. The constant overwhelmed, exhausted feeling is a warning sign — time to stop and think.

Even after looking at all the activities and making sure they fit priorities, there are seasons where we need to accomplish more (medical emergency, newborn, moving cross-country, etc.) and exhaustion is part of life. To help lessen the burden, though, we can recognize the increased load and choose to do less for a little while.

  • Go to super simple. Frozen pizza is fine. Spring cleaning will happen next spring.
  • Delegating doesn’t have to be permanent, whether that be a housecleaner, grocery pickup, or prepared meals. Basics can be covered, even if not with our own two hands.

Or looking at all the activities shows up some stuff that really doesn’t need to be done right now. Cutting back on that stuff will allow us to focus on priorities — loving God and loving our neighbor — instead of running on a hamster wheel. This is our chance to reset our lives (not just the kitchen) and go forward with a better pace. We can calmly cover our responsibilities and enjoy the space to love our neighbors, families, friends, and community as we go.

Only Cute Snowballs Allowed

Published on by Kim

Have you ever come home from a trip, dropped your suitcase, and then left it on the floor for days because you were just too tired to deal with unpacking?

It’s one thing if you roll in after midnight — go to bed, by all means! But, for the most part, I have learned that tackling the chore of unpacking is better done sooner rather than later.

You’ll be sorry if you don’t. The longer the task sits there, hanging over your head, waiting and condemning, the worse you fell about it. The effect of all that anticipation and procrastination snowballs. Just like a little snowball packed in your hand can roll around the yard and become the base for a snowman (if you’ve never done this, it might be fun to watch a video online about it to get the full effect), the emotional and mental weight of a reasonable task can become overwhelming.

It’s quicker that way. If you think about the time it takes to unzip the suitcase, put the clean clothes away, dump the laundry in the hamper, and put the devices back where they belong… Let’s be real here; it’s not that long, especially if you pack smart. If you delay and add the time sitting, the time walking by it, the time excusing yourself for not tackling it, the time thinking about how it needs to be done, you can run up a tab — or roll a snowball — a lot bigger than the minutes it would have taken to just do it.

Some of us don’t struggle much with unpacking suitcases. What about unpacking groceries after a major trip to the store? What about putting away the clean laundry? What about loading the dishwasher after baking up a storm? The principle holds true in a bunch of other cases. Think about whether postponing the chore is worth it in the long run.