You are what you do regularly. Jason Byassee recently wrote http://www.faithandleadership.com/blog/11-02-2010/jason-byassee-you-are-what-you-do-regularly-excellently with these words in the title. Its an inspiring piece and when I read it today I realized why I might be going through a difficult time.
I am not on bedrest regularly. I don’t want to be on bedrest regularly. I hope that I am never this tied to my bed again. But some things that have learning by
being on bedrest may help my regular life:
Life can happen without me.
We all know this most likely in our heads and maybe in our souls, but did I believe it? Probably not. However, I am realizing that good happens when I am not able to control it. Sitting out for a time helps me remember that other folks can do what I usually do.
Knowing when to say I can’t
After a week of bedrest and mostly without the use of my computer and phone thanks to the pain, I really believed that I could schedule a whole day of activities yesterday. Granted, spending 8 hours at the doctor and then having a meal with folks doesn’t sound like too much. I actually was able to say to those I was having dinner with, “Look I scheduled too much – I just can’t.” Yes, maybe I should have thought about all of this in the scheduling process – but being able to say no in the moment is a step in the right direction for me.
Asking for help isn’t a death sentence
My co-workers, my church, my Dwellers, and especially my friend Nadia and my husband Jim have been there for me in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. When I ask for help, I also can let people in. And when I let people in, I can ask for help. I am learning the importance of both.
Creativity can bloom unexpectedly when I can’t do the usual.
In the last week, creativity has had to happen. So, I can’t do my meetings over breakfast, but folks are welcome to my house to talk sometimes. Or instead of co-leading a retreat, I can be a phone presence for the leader when she needs it. If I hadn’t been in bed, there would have been no reason to think creativity – but now there is.
I still will be in bed most of this week, most likely. The time isn’t over. However, hopefully I can get these lessons can become what I do regularly, without the bed.
