Good morning, God--and thanks for this new day. I do appreciate it, and I appreciate the chance to be doing things that are enjoyable and challenging. Things are keeping me very, very busy these days, but you and I both know that I do tend to thrive during such busy seasons--as long as I know that they're going to last only a short time, I'm able to do very well with them. Right now I have school, track, and training for the long run that's coming up, and these things are keeping me occupied pretty much constantly. But it's also true that the run will be done in less than two weeks, and track will be done in eight. And heck, school will be done in ten weeks, so the busyness definitely will be diminishing soon enough.
It's odd that I thrive during times like these, for I very much like my down time. I like having time to sit and relax and have a cup of coffee. I like having time to read a good book or watch good movies. Instead, during times like these I'm training or grading papers or planning meets or taking care of logistical issues. But somehow I do find the time for everything I need to do, and it all gets done on time (or at least, I think it does--who knows what I've missed?). But I don't get extremely stressed out, and I don't actually miss the down times--probably because I build them into my schedules. By the end of track season, I'm sure that I'll be missing the down time more, but I'll also know that the end of track season in very near so I'll also have a very important something to look forward to.
It's funny how life balances for us if we allow it to. Before I commit to something like coaching track, I sometimes dread the loss of my time, yet when the season begins I hardly notice the loss at all. Would I like to have a day when I come home and relax instead of heading up to the track to work with the students? Absolutely. But do I enjoy heading up to the track and working with the students, trying to help them to improve in what they're doing? Absolutely.
I guess life is about doing things for seasons--there is a time for reaping, and a time for sowing. I know that if I tried to extend my busy season for whatever reason, I would find that things aren't so positive. But as it stands now, I'm glad that such busy seasons help me to see the beauty of the down times and help me to appreciate the times I have to spend simply being, with a good cup of hot coffee and maybe a doughnut or two.
A reply:
Seasons? Absolutely. And you've discovered one of the most important aspects of life--being aware of the seasons as they come, and accepting them completely for what they are. The people who have the hardest time in their lives are those who fight against their situations instead of accepting them. They resent the busy periods, and they get bored when they've been sent times of rest--so they fill their times of rest with artificial busyness because they can't stand relaxing, even though rest and relaxation is what they and their bodies and their minds need the most!
Enjoy the season that you have. In track and in most sports, it's actually called a season. (Unfortunately, there are some sports that are going into two or three seasons a year, and keeping people from learning new and different and complementary skills, but that's another issue entirely.) You are busy for now. But after next Saturday, when the run is over, you'll be much less busy. Then you'll have just six weeks left of track, and then you'll be much less busy. But don't worry--there will be something to pick up the slack. You do have several novels that you've been working on, don't you?
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