A Start

Since entering into the working world post-college, I've revamped my life in many ways. For one, here I am, blogging! As a nurse, my schedule allows for me to work full-time yet have four days off a week. While it really is an ideal schedule, my identity took a hit when it caught up with the fact that I'm no longer a "student," per-say. For my entire life it seems I was caught up in a world of books and tests and projects and stress. After finishing orientation as a nurse, I suddenly had no studious obligations unless I chose to undertake them. While I love to learn and be a student, I must admit I did sport a grin at the thought of not having to take another test for a little while. On the flip side, however, I suddenly found myself without a path. Without a direction laid out for me, other than to do my job to the best of my ability. So what about my four days not at work!? If I'm not studying, what am I supposed to be doing?! My goal, for now, is to develop all those hobbies of mine that have been sitting on the back burner of my life waiting for me to be devoted and free enough to thoroughly enjoy them. As I'm an avid "list maker," I've compiled a To-Do List of sorts in my head, and I religiously work off of a daily To-Do List each day in order to maintain a mild amount of productivity at the very least.

My overall goal with my To-Do List is to be deliberate and accomplish goals that I have prayed about and determined to be worthy of the free time I have in front of me. My relationship with God has to be my first priority. No doubt about that. I know this, yet I struggle with this the most. And I'm not the only one, I'm sure. Thus, at the top of my priority list for this new chapter of my life is to put God at the top of my priority list. Heh.

Also included in my list is to spend more time actively associating with, helping, and otherwise serving those around me. I'm trying to find little ways to do this every day, whether it be through a visit, random note, phone call, random act of kindness, etc. This goal of service applies to anyone around me - coworkers, husband, friends, family, random strangers on the street, etc. I challenge you all as well -- make it a priority to serve someone other than yourself at least once each day. It's a harder challenge than it seems, that's for sure. Maybe it's just me though. I love to serve and help and make someone's life better. BUT, I'm also an introvert and like my "me" time. Occasionally, the two desires conflict, and usually, as it's easier to sit inside and keep to myself, I end up on the selfish side of the fence. So, I'm praying for a spirit that desires service over solitude. And I take it one day at a time from there.

Along the same lines, in order to best serve my Hubs, myself, and those I desire to entertain and reach out to, I'm endeavoring to "keep house" as best as I can. I've usually been pretty good with this because we don't have a big place (although clutter can get the best of me!), and I like the thought of killing germs. ;-) But there's always room for improvement, and I admit that in my recent free-time I've gotten lazy about maintaining a clean, tidy home. I'm going to try to do something helpful for our living space each day I have off. The extent of my cleaning will probably depend on my plans for that day and how my body's treating me that day. But the aesthetics of a well-kept home are also uplifting to a weary body and soul, so it's a priority for me to maintain daily diligence. Mostly, I tend to neglect my floors...the ones that require scrubbing more than vacuuming. Never knew how much I hated scrubbing floors until I was forced into it by our little apartment's linoleum. So, I'm praying for a spirit of joy and willingness....and maybe even a little courage to tackle that which is most daunting (and painful!).

My final major task on the To-Do List of days off includes my passion for clean eating and an overall healthy lifestyle. This, like everything listed above, directly stems from my desire to live a balanced, deliberate life. Now I have more time to invest in making a clean diet a reality and to actually get the P90X out of the box more often. Oh sure, I have days where I must fulfill my chip craving or someone will suffer my wrath, but in general, we're working hard to avoid all junk and sugar as much as possible and to get our butts moving as much as possible. So far, BIG strides have been made and I'm proud! I've been able to make a lot of fun, new recipes and develop new muscles -- two of my favorite pastimes ever!

Also included on my priority list are activities such as reading books again, crafting, sleeping more(!!!), and being even more frugal than ever. It's been a wonderful, deliberate start to a new, "adult" me. Little by little, I think I'll travel far.

*~But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!~*