The Unexpected Gift of Time
The past three months have been highly unusual for me, probably for you as well. There is rarely a calendar in my possession with nothing on it. I’ve become better, more protective of my calendar over the years just not anything like this! Cancellations were the name of the game for the first month of the stay at home order. Shutting down a hands-on business such as mine and pivoting to virtual services helped occupy me and the calendar. However, there was so much else missing such as church, social gatherings with family and friends along with the holidays.After about a week, I figured out I was supposed to be doing something with this abundance of time. As the journey has continued now into the third month, I wanted to share a few takeaways.
My first takeaway is the fact that I become comfortable with silence and alot of it. I found that I began to look forward to it each day, it allowed me to deepen my prayer time and reflection. In the silence I felt peace and joy. I had this feeling that everything would be okay and that I felt happiness deep within. The day to day uncertainties still lead me to my quiet place. I have become more attuned to listening to when I need more silence rather than the usual amount.
Another takeaway came in facing the numerous little projects I had been casting aside during my busy-ness. Tackling them one by one really kept my mind creative. Once I completed the projects, I decided to take on a new hobby.This brought excitement to my day. I have made sure to spend a few minutes daily on my new hobby, the practice is part of having some discipline to my day.
The last takeaway was in recognizing how important technology was in my daily life. I would’ve told you it was insignificant before being confined to my home. It became a visual connection the outside world in a way I could never have imagined! It was wonderful to take part in church service because of live streaming. I even taught my older parents how to Zoom so we could connect more fully. This allowed for my husband and children to connect with their grandparents and I know it brought them happiness! As I sit here communicating with you, I can honestly say I am grateful for the technology I used to berate on a daily basis.
The journey continues as I write this. I will keep an open mind and embrace this period of time. Uncertainty will always be a part of life, honestly it always has been. My response to situations I cannot control is to focus on where I need to grow spiritually. I wonder if you have had any of these takeaways, if not please reach out to me at www.facebook.com/darlene.illig and share your takeaways. After all, we have technology to connect us together!
