Do you ever find it interesting how you can get through the day and not even remember what you did that day? I certainly do. There are things that are a part of our daily routine that we can do mindlessly. We do them out of habit and can run for hours or even days on autopilot. Although our days are full of choices, our habit is to take the easy option – do what is comfortable or involve less work – pretty soon we end up with a day, a week, even a life we didn’t intend to live.
God calls us to something more. He wants us to live in greater consciousness and become truly present in our lives. It takes effort, but if we become more aware of the decisions we are making we can discover the difference between merely functioning and living. There are opportunities to do good things sprinkled throughout our day, but we need to be willing to step into them.
This week I had agreed to ride along with Mom to go visit some family. Sunday morning as I was thinking about the time it would take to do that, I almost talked myself out of it. I’m so glad I didn’t. The hours spent visiting with my mother, aunt, and uncle and then my dad and his wife we so rich with meaning. The time spent with them was much more valuable than it would have been had I chosen to do the task I thought I needed to get done. And to think I almost missed it.
In that same vein, last night I attended a meeting to be trained on how to coach young girls for the Girls on the Run program here in Pierre. It would have been easy to find a reason I couldn’t go, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I was so impressed with the work that has been put into helping young girls to develop skills that will help them throughout their lives and am honored and excited to be a part of the experience here this spring. Just meeting the other coaches was so motivating and exciting. I loved the energy those women are bringing to help our young people be the best they can be and meet the challenges they will encounter throughout the next few years. And to think, I might have chosen watching some on TV sitcom over that!
That is what its all about really. Getting out of our routine, stretching ourselves a little (or a lot!), and finding ways that we can be the best we can be and in the process, helping someone else to do the same. I encourage you to turn the autopilot off and find something new and exciting to do this week. You’ll be glad you did!
