Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Choosing Simplicity..... Frazzled or Peaceful

Ahhh... which picture best describes how you are feeling today?? Some days I feel just like the frazzled woman on the left, but what I long to be like is the woman below. What is the difference?? Is it because one woman lives in the modern world and the other in days gone by?? Why do I fluctuate between the two in my real life reality??













Do you see the real difference?? The woman on the right has SET ASIDE all distractions and is CHOOSING to focus on GOD and her FAMILY in the MOMENT!!! She isn't being super woman... she is enjoying the moment with her family resting in gratitude for the blessings she has rather than pushing herself to get everything done all at once! Trust me, women in the 'olden days' had just as much to do as we do... it was just different tasks. I think our ability to FOCUS and LIVE in the moment has been destroyed by the fast pace of multitasking!! Days I feel completely stressed out and frazzled are often days when I have loaded my day too full and have placed unrealistic expectations on myself.

As helpful as modern technology is (dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, computers, cell phones, vacuums, freezers, ect) it does come with a cost. Never in all history have we had the opportunity to be so involved.... there is so much we can do at once. We've got cell phones, email, internet, texting, I phone Apps, facebook, blogs, mp3 players, and DVR's in addition to good old fashioned land lines, radio, tv and snail mail. We have more options for things to do and places to go than ever before. There are more activities for our kids, more programs at church and a majority of women in the workforce. NONE of those things are bad in and of themselves, but you put them all together and FRAZZLED doesn't even begin to explain how we are feeling.

Am I just on a soap box or do you feel it, too?!! CHOOSING SIMPLICITY might mean we have to make some choices that go against the flow of our culture. Turning off the cell phones, the computers, the tvs for a few hours a day. Being very careful when selecting activities to be involved in and limiting the number of evenings spent outside of the home.

FOCUSING on one thing at a time... really LIVING in the moment rather than trying to get five things done at once and thinking about the next five that need done might go a long way in washing away the FRAZZLED life!! What do you think?? Is there a solution to our modern day frenzy??


Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Simple Family Supper

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen! I love the simple life. I always thought we were living a quiet, simple life. Then we moved to the Middle of Nowhere, Iowa. Wow! We really simplified it then. I can tell a huge difference in my stress level, inner peace and patience.

Running the race said...

Heather, this is the first time I have visited your blogg, very nice! I am Nicki's mom. Love the pictures and your thoughts. I think your right. I think of my mom and how much she had to do because of huge expectations to be the perfect mom, wife. She didn't have the freedom I had to pursue dreams outside of the house. So I guess in that we are blessed!

Leanne said...

My mom and I often talk about how my grandmother DIDN'T EVEN DRIVE. We are working on eliminating unnecessary stressors and preparing for a much different way of life in the fall when I start to homeschool. Most evening activities have been removed....and several of the daily ones! Its much better. I think we struggle to compare ourselves with the people next door... I also think busyness is a powerful weapon of the Enemy. If he can get you to be too "busy", he can get you take your eye off the Prize!
Awesome post!

ThreeGirlyGirls said...

What a great site you have! I am totally the woman at the top!! :) Great thoughts today!