I just read a post from "A Holy Experience," a site I enjoy but which I am unable to keep up with on any routine basis . . . Ann Voskamp is a prolific writer, which is not a bad thing, but I find it can be overwhelming to be quite honest. The post was on keeping our sanity in the New Year and was written posted January 24, 2013. If you want to read the whole thing, it's entitled 25 Point Manifesto for Sanity in 2013. My reactions were generally good, but I thought that doing all 25 each day would kill me - not a good way to find sanity. But her ideas are, as usual, excellent, and would indeed help keep perspective, and sanity. Here are several I was particularly struck by (only shared in brief here - you'll have to click on the link to read the details).
2. “What a heart knows by heart is what a heart knows”
5. Step on the Snake Before Breakfast
6. Stay in the pool
8. Go Slow. Life Zone.
10. No songs without rhythm
16. Work on your Wall before Noon
18. Consistently be Consistent
20. Do the Holy, Happiness Habit
The ones that struck me most were #s2, 6, and 16, probably because of where I'm at right at this moment in particular. Next month, I would probably find other ones standing out. And my "strategy" for sanity probably starts with one not even on this list: 7. Clean a space = clear headspace. I get to a point where I can't even think if there's too much stuff piled up (our threshold is actually far too high for sanity, so when I get to this point, it's REALLY bad...). I was there last weekend and it's better, but still there and bothering me. I need to step on that snake and work on that wall, seriously, and then my head will be doing SO much better.
Anyway, the point of all this musing and sharing is that there are things here that could or do help me keep my head above water, and maybe you'll find some of them encouraging or helpful. While I find her posts - like this one - overwhelming, when I take that step back to consider what she's saying (as I try to stop reeling), I know she's not giving me, or anyone, a to do list, or condeming me for not following her advice. She's simply sharing her journey and what's helped her. She's not trying to tell me what to do. And even if she was, I don't need to. Part of maturity is hearing the message a person is trying to share, and another part is knowing what to do with it, regardless of their intention. What I like most about Ann's posts in general, is her understanding of God's grace and that while we do live our faith in ways that result in good works, it's not fundamentally about acheivement, but about life and trust and grace and a God who's so much greater than we can imagine. Ann is not trying to lay a guilt trip on me. Yay. So don't let me hear that message. And frankly, I know that trying to do too much - make too many changes at once, etc - generally leads to failure, at least for me. So what I can take away from her post this time is that she has some great ideas to share for how to maintain sanity in the new year. They're all pretty good. Now if I want to think about several of them in particular and mull over them, that would probably help me as I think through my own time and what is realistic. And if I actually want to implement one or two, now that is doable, and could truly help me maintain some sanity. And knowing that's all ok - that is that I don't have to do them all - is part of learning about my journey as a mom, as a wife, and as a believer. And, as my husband would say, it's not right and wrong, and it is truly all about grace.
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