While work was demanding, she longs for pieces of her past. The familiarity of having a defined purpose, and the comfort of friends who worked alongside her.
It got me thinking, as someone who has essentially retired from one career (homeschooling) and is in the embracing of a new season as well.
We aren’t so different.
How many daydreams have caught us longing for more time? Uninterrupted time to fulfill all of our unrealized dreams?
An interval can be described as a space between things; a period of pause.
We can find ourselves stuck between the luxury of time, and the absence of purpose.
Struggling to find a balance. Knowing we should be grateful, and feeling the nag of guilt for feeling a bit lost.
Perhaps you are “stuck” in a season that feels foreign to you. Whether that is a few free hours a day while a child begins school, are retiring from a career, choosing to move from one dream to another…
Feeling stuck isn’t exclusive to a situation, we can all relate to the trembling steps into the new.
5 Powerful Tips to embrace the in-between
Acknowledge- When we stop trying to talk ourselves out of feelings, we have the opportunity to figure out the deeper stuff. What is is we are so uncomfortable with? Allow time to sit with, and easily identify the emotions. Just naming what is takes away some of the discomforts
Brainstorm- There are no rules here. Grab a pencil and write down every dream you can think of. No need to have the details down, just the notion. Want to create a business or volunteer time or take a trip? Host a group of friends for dinners or reach out to the lonely? Learn to draw or take better care of your health? Write it all down
Create SMART goals- I am learning to utilize this concept myself! Instead of “to-do” lists or loose ideas for the day, study the potential behind SMART goals. By defining the steps to accomplish our tasks, we can really move forward from ideas to action
Embrace the season- We don’t have to have all the answers figured out. In fact, we never will. Proverbs 16:9 says “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” It is okay to stop and sit in the stillness of change. Listening and taking note of its potential. In the meantime, check out the concept of Hygge with this thought-provoking post
Anticipate– We can stop the hustle with confident assurance that good things await. Because one season ended, doesn’t minimize the awesomeness of the ones that are still coming
Moving Out of the In-Between
It’s good and healthy to spend time reflecting on what was, and what is, and what might still be.
In Time Management From The Inside Out, author Julie Morgenstern says, ” When you are overscheduled, you have no time to reflect on your priorities and your to-do lists. Then, you easily get caught up in—and spend an enormous amount of time on—things that are not necessarily important.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Change doesn’t have to be a scary thing, and if it feels that way? We don’t have to stay there.
Let’s extend grace to ourselves to accept this gift of time, where some shadows grow long and the promise of a new dream is just on the horizon.
Your turn- how do you feel about having time that is unspoken for?
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