Summer breaks are where it is at

Hold on and enjoy the ride. Feel like that would be the tag line for my life as a movie. Not that is that exciting or wild of a life, but because sometimes holding on is about all I can do and other times it is a freaking fun ride.

Summer is one of the best times for the fun. I still mentally kind of hit that summer vacation mode (starting about this time of the year) you have when you are a kid, even though it has been a lot years since I've had one of those summer vacations like you have when you are in school. Everyone seems to slow down and have more free time. I love hanging out late into the evening and just enjoying the company of friends. The days where you just want to go hang out at the pool and kick back and enjoy the awesome day. I don't want to be in such a rush in life that I miss out on enjoying it. I will never be one of those people who have extra vacation days left over at the end of the year.

Maybe you are in one of those moments in life where you are just trying to hold on. If so, hang in there and look for the joy. It may be tough to find, but most of the time if we look hard enough, it is usually there. Not a fake happiness, but joy. It usually comes in the small ways that we can forget to look for. So what are the things that bring you joy? List them out and find a way to work them into your calendar. Make time to enjoy the ride, even if you have to schedule in the time to learn how to do it. I think I am out of here to go start experiencing some of that fun. Wonder how many things I can still fit into the rest of the day that will bring me joy? It has been a good day filled with interruptions that have been fun. Looking forward to what the rest of the week may hold. Go and start your summer vacation now. It is okay. Just go and tell your boss that I said so.

A little reflection

Had one of those strange moments last night of "who would have thought it". I was briefly on facebook last night and had the chance to IM with a couple of friends. The thing that struck me was that I met both of them shortly after moving to Tulsa... almost 20 years ago. One of them I coached in soccer for a couple of years, the other one I had in my small group while he was in high school. We have remained friends over all of those years. I've gotten married and had 3 boys in that time while each of them have gotten married and had two kids. One is pursuing his dream of a career in medicine, while the other has switched from his job in management several years ago to now learning Chinese in Taiwan. There have been a lot of highs and lows in our lives during those years. Times when we leaned on each other. Times when I wondered if our friendship would last. The strange thing while I have been friends with them both for almost 20 years that I continue to learn new things about them. As we continue to grow and change a part of them has been weaved in my life during those times. While we don't talk nearly as often as we used to, we still can go from hanging out and having fun to seriously deep in no time at all. They stretch me and challenge me to see life differently. They ask me tough questions and keep me on my toes. And I love that. I love that even after that long, I look forward to being around them and talking to them. Look forward to the fun to be had and the serious conversations that take place. Just a little reflection on two friends who have been a huge part of my life over the long haul.

Images

"The images that capture your focus will determine your destiny." - from Steven Furtick's blog today.

What captures your focus? I've been thinking about this in a couple of situations that are going on around me right now. I think I often see pictures of what could be. Where things could go over the next several years. The possibilities of some incredible things. Others see the mess of right now. The pieces that need to be rearranged and put back together. I may be a dreamer while they claim to be realist (another word for pessimist in my book most of the time). Different images have captured our focus. The cool thing is that we get to choose what we focus on. The imagines that dominate our thoughts are what we choose. Will I focus on myself, my career, or my family? Will my mind be held captive by a small boy the same age as my middle son who lives in the Philippines? Will I see the need that is all around me and the faces of those who are hurting? Will a new house or new car hold that spot in the digital picture frame in my mind? What image has captured your thoughts? What we dwell on is where we are heading. Don't like where that leads, then change the image you are focusing on. What is your destiny going to be?

Amazed

When did amazing stop being amazing? I often hear people describe something they like as amazing. This burrito is amazing. Really? You are amazed... stopped in your tracks... can't find the words to describe... in awe of... a burrito? It doesn't bother me that people describe the non-amazing as amazing, but what really amazes you? When was the last time your jaw dropped at how incredible something was? When did you have to say "wait a minute" let me soak this in because this is one of those once in a lifetime experiences? When was the last time you stood and stared (probably with your mouth open a little bit) because you could not fathom how something could be this wonderful? When did amazing come to mean a little bit better than I thought?

I wonder if we don't settle for less. We could have amazing, but we settle for pretty good. We dream of something a little beyond where we are financially, a marriage that is just a little bit better, a church that might be a little more like Jesus was... we settle for something a little beyond what we can accomplish. What we can accomplish isn't usually that amazing. But if we could be just a little better, say the right words more often, follow the plan a little closer, have things go our way just a bit more, then life would be amazing. Really? Is that what amazing means?

I want things that will totally blow my mind. Things that are so far outside of anything I can accomplish on my own. The dreams I have... I want something that totally shatters them. That is amazing. Are you settling for good because you are afraid to expect amazing? Is it possible we our setting our sights a little too low?

Have an amazing day!

Can you slow down?

Is it possible to slow down? Is each day really about getting from point A to point B? Is our love of speed, rushing from one thing to the next, an addiction or an obsession or maybe an idol? How many of us have said "Maybe when I have some time" or "I need more hours in the day"? Do we look forward to things or are we so busy that we can only focus on the immediate? Do we know how to enjoy the moment and savor it or do we just fly through it? Are we scared of the silence of slowing down? Are we bored if we don't have something in front of us 24/7? Do we determine our worth by our busyness? If we are busy, we don't have to be vulnerable or have real community because we only have time to briefly connect with others. Is our obsession with speed part of the reason we are lonely? Does the clock and calendar rule your life?

No answers. Lots of questions. What do you think? Do you need to slow down? If so, how are you going to start your season of slowness? Or are you going to wait until you have more time?