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I am Sandra - faithful steward. listener. shepherd. dream believer. hard worker. collects brass bells, boots. Jesus follower. contented. star gazer. homemaker. farmer. prayer warrior. country woman. reader. traveler. writer. homebody. living life large.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Quiet Days

~ the sheep of His pasture ~
NOD 

Softly along the road of evening,
In a twilight dim with rose,
Wrinkled with age, and drenched with dew
Old Nod, the shepherd, goes

His drowsy flock stream on before him,
Their fleeces charged with gold,
To where the sun's last beam leans low
On Nod, the shepherd's fold

The hedge is quick and green with briar,
From their sand the cronies creep;
And all the birds that fly in heaven
Flock singing home to sleep.

His lambs outnumber a noon's roses,
Yet, when night's shadows fall,
His blind old sheep-dog, Slumber-soon,
Misses not one of all.

His are the quiet steeps of dreamland,
The waters of no-more-pain;
His ram's bell rings 'neath an arch of stars,
Rest, rest, and rest again.” 
 ~ Abbie, resting ~
So much of what I hear these days is talk, loud talk, about how busy people are but what I don't hear, so much, is why they are so busy. It all boils down to choices, doesn't it? There's a lot of talk about getting rid of stuff, parring down, living simpler lives but not much talk about getting rid of busy. Frankly, I like my stuff and all of it has a history, it was here a long while before me and will be here a long while after me. When someone used to ask Aunt Bonnie why she didn't sell something, she'd say, "It's not eating or drinking a thing so I guess it can stay." My attitude perxactly!
Don't be in such a hurry to trash what is good. It's your home, your decision and if you want to get rid of your possessions, be happy with that choice but don't feel you have to downsize because of so-called societal pressure. Remember, no one gets a choice in your home but you and your family; well-meaning others only have choices in their homes. Ah, such freedom when one doesn't bow to whims and fancies of other folks!
On the other hand, getting rid of busy enlarges your life, your family, your time and can decrease stress, tension, anger, etc. If you choose to volunteer, do it willingly, with a cheerful heart and in a place that speaks to your heart. When I worked in the corporate arena, I would ink in "me" time in my calendar. When someone would ask for a meeting on a day and time already scheduled for "me", I would, truthfully say, "I'm sorry, I already have a commitment then." Fortunately the ole donkey's rear for whom I worked never caught on; had he caught on, he would have fired me for "not being a team player" and this said as he was leaving to do personal errands.
Life is busy and there are things we all have to do; make sure those other things are things you want to do. Leave space in your day for emergencies and spontaneous fun and, at day's end, take a deep breath and know you've lived your life well; not in a hurry or worry.

It's your life; don't let someone else try and live it, or run it, for you. 

Blessings ~ sheep ~ Abbie ~ rest ~ space ~ choices ~

19 comments:

  1. You got that right! Aunt Bonnie was right as well!! (Is that Bennie's mom?)

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  2. Hello Sandra and Dave:
    Yes, busy doing what? A question we often ask of others who never seem to have time for anything and spend inordinate amounts of time clamped to a mobile telephone.

    We regard it as a great luxury that we have so much time to simply live these days after what seems like years of frantic activity. We love it when we turn the page in the diary and it is blank!!

    You are so right in what you say here. And we are sure that you both live according to this mantra.

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  3. a great big AMEN! thanks for the wonderful post. have a wonderful day!

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  4. Completely agree! Lots of people I know tell me how they wish they could do what I'm doing (staying at home with my babies) but they are just SO BUSY. And I look at what is supposedly keeping them so busy and I think "Well, just stop being so busy then!"

    I learned awhile ago, after nearly loosing our boys that we are given a finite amount of time and we should enjoy every last drop of it to it's full purpose. And working my life away was not it's purpose!

    Sorry for the long comment - you struck a chord! :) Have a wonderful weekend!

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  5. Amen, sister. I love quiet days . . . especially long quiet mornings.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  6. Amen to that, Sandra! I don't have a lot of stuff but what I do have I really like and don't plant to get rid of it! Because we are on the cusp of retirement, everyone seems to think we need to 'downsize'. Why? We will finally have the time to work on all those 'big dreams' we were working for! And at a pace we set ~ and can take time to rest whenever we want! One more year being at another's beckon call! Then 'we time'!

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  7. My running is my me time. I couldn't live without it :-)

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  8. You are right again. I think busy is a safe place for me, but the things I've been busy with lately are not things of choice but temporarily things of need. I see light at the end of the tunnel for me time. I just need to get to it!
    Deb

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  9. Every morning I wake up I am grateful for a day that I can do just about anything I want to do or not! Sometimes I think "I should be doing something"! ...then I think I am doing something...I am living and just being. How people ever got into the habit of being so busy is beyond me..and you are right about everyone thinking they have to downsize. My husband and I were just talking about this...how my parents have been so lucky to still live in their own home and until recently with my dad never needed any real help. I think it is because they just knew they were going to do this...never ever thought about going into "assisted living" ..that would be my mom's worse nightmare..all about choices.

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  10. Sweet blessings to you!
    Leaving time for living well and slow paced is my cup of tea.
    God bless,
    d

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  11. Awesome point! I like to get un-busy and de-clutter for the same reason. Time is such a special. Just because we don't see it doesn't mean we can't use it well or enjoy it. Blessings!

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  12. Oops, I forgot to let you know how much I enjoy the poem and photos!

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  13. So many good thoughts.

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  14. Anonymous7:41 PM EDT

    Hear, hear! I agree that it isn't necessarily stuff that has us overloaded (although I've pared down a lot of stuff I no long want to spend time taking care of).. but it is the hurry, the busy that needs to be quieted in order to hold onto one's sanity and be able to breath in rest to restore one's soul.

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  15. I could not have said it better........and thank you dear one for pointing out the obvious to us fellow "busy" people....we should all follow the rhythms of the seasons.I know the older I get the more inclined I am to do so!
    Hugs, NEBS and the menagerie

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  16. Was very blessed to have spent Thursday not being busy... I decided to get everyone together and drive up into mountains and have a picnic... the Kids (17 and 20) fussed but had a great time..

    Since we are new to the area, like you mentioned I am planning on simplifying things, getting rid of NON sentimental clutter.. but trying very hard to take time to spend with my family days like yesterday..

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  17. Well, I'm so happy to meet you! I love your blog! I'll be a regular, for sure. Oh, Abbie. She's so sweet. Cute, too. Do you know that my favorite animal is the sheep? Oh, yes. I love the poem you shared. You are SO right about busy. No thank you. I love hunkering down and enjoying peace and quiet whenever I can. Isn't it fun reading Gladys Taber? I find it so soothing, so purely innocent and hopeful. Have a wonderful time while traveling. I'll be back.

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  18. I came to return your visit and comment, and I found myself reading and reading and enjoying your blog so much that have to come back for more. So now I am a Follower right next to PomPom who is a Dear Friend here in Blogland, and as she said...it's so nice to meet you and I love your blog, too! Thank you for stopping by CITexas Gal.

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  19. This post was meant for me NOW, thank-you.

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