Remember to Breathe

With everything so hectic in my world, and not having a lot of spare time to do much of anything, it is hard to remember the simple things.

Like breathing.

I was telling someone about all that I have going on in life, and they asked me, "When do you breathe?" They meant it as a sarcastic question, but in reality it sunk a lot deeper than that.

When do I breathe? Just sit and breathe. When do I take time to let my heart be still?

As I look at my schedule, I have to wonder to myself when I can have a minute of peace and quiet, a time of relaxing and not having any responsibilities to worry about. In reality, there isn't a time when school isn't looming over my head, or I don't have to be working on figuring out the schedule for the next week, or I'm not practicing dance. It all adds up very quickly.

This is the reality most people live in. A reality of having more responsibilities than possible to handle, and yet handle them throughout the week. Working several jobs to make ends meet, or to save up for the thing they really want or really need, is a necessity. People are staying busy, that is for sure.

But what about resting?

This doesn't mean sitting on the couch watching Netflix, even though it might involve a little bit of that. It just means not doing something that has to be done. It is doing something for the love of doing it, and not feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of having to accomplish anything. This might include watching movies, or reading a good book, or walking in the rain, or playing/listening to music, writing in a journal, hanging out with friends, or anything else that is not pressing to be done. It is a release. A calming, relaxing release of energy and stress that has built up throughout the week or day.

God set aside a day for rest. A whole 24 hours that is not supposed to be spent doing anything but worshiping Him and resting. It is important that we rest. God didn't make us to just go through the motions of life, but to be able to stop and see Him. "Be still and know that I am God." It is commanded to be still. To stop for a little while.

When do I breathe? In the little things. No, I don't have a lot of time to just chill out, but I love the time I have. It is at night when I'm laying in bed with no responsibilities, stretching for dance, sitting on the couch while the baby is asleep, writing in my journal, reading my Bible in the morning, and all the other quiet little moments I can steal throughout the day. It is in the moments when I don't have to do something, but chose to do it just for the pure joy of doing the task.

An Update

As summer is coming to a close, and life is starting to get a little crazy again, I thought it would be a good time for an update on my insane life.

I went from no job to too many jobs in a matter of a couple days. I am working everyday as a nanny between four different families at the moment, which keeps me plenty busy. I love all the kids tremendously, and cannot wait to see them everyday. :) My little prince is 8 months old and a joy to watch, along with his 5, 9, and 13 year old sisters. I also have an 18 month old princess, a 3 year old mischievious monkey, and a 10 year old who is way too cool for school, a 2 year old angel, and a 5 year old sweetheart, and of course my Bella B, who sadly I don't see everyday anymore.

Of course I am still dancing my heart out. I am in three classes, ballet, ballet technique, and pre-pointe. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to put my beloved pointe shoes back on, but only time (and a whole lot of hard work) will tell. Classes are amazing, and I am so glad to be back to dancing after such a long break.

The reason for my extended break from dance was a knee injury. Basically I wiggled something to the point of not working properly, and everytime I walked, I dislocated my knee. Yeah, it's as fun as it sounds. Thankfully, physical therapy is coming to an end, and I am back at dance full time. I also can walk on stairs and other uneven surfaces without wishing for my leg to fall off. This is quite the improvement. :D

School is going great, even though it is a little hard to find time to get anything done with working so much, but somehow I'm managing. Right now I am only taking one class. Math. Yippee. It really isn't that bad, and I am learning a lot about logic and other practical skills, rather than just algebraic equations. Evne though I don't think I would mind that all that much this year. The structure of school has been really nice and I am quite glad to have it back after the almost four month break for summer. In the spring my life will get a little bit more hectic because I wll be taking four classes for school rather than just the one. I am looking forward to most of the classes though and ready to learn. It is an adventure I am quite ready to embark upon.

And so my life continues, busy, crazy, and little overwhelming, but God is still sovereign and working through the craziness everyday for His glory.