Hide N Seek

Do you people think that I am some local deity
and not the transcendent God?” the Lord asks.“Do you really think anyone can hide himself
where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks.
“Do you not know that I am everywhere?”
the Lord asks.  - Jeremiah 23:23-24

 

Raise of hands how many of you have ever played a champion game of Hide N Seek?  Or Sardines?  Many of youth lock-ins we played champion rounds of Sardines.  There is something compelling about disappearing but not for long as people seek you out.  One of my earliest memories or "faux" memories ( could totally be a created memory through past stories or dreamed) is playing Hide N Seek in Germany with the big kids when I was very young.  I remember there was a green van with a skinny locker.  This was a popular hiding space.  I remember sneaking inside and waiting for what felt forever.  Looking back now I wonder if it felt like forever because I was twoish or because I was two and I was allowed to play "wink wink" and hid just too well that no one could find me.  Although someone always hid in this cool spot. Being a mom to a toddler I understand that sometimes a cool spot to hide can be overlooked for a bit of time - "wink wink" :)

 

Speaking of my li'l man.  He has entered the love of Hide N Seek.  I had made a resolution to work out daily - haven't quite hit this goal but I do get in quite a few rounds of champion Hide N Seek.  I say champion because we play speed version.  When mommy or daddy counts it is a full ten seconds to allow proper hiding.  When the 3 year old counts it can range from three to six seconds but the finder is moving with peeking eyes toward the hider.  It is a sprint to get to the other side of the house with the counter closing in quickly.  Hurdles of moving pets or dodging toys are too common of obstacles.  Sometimes we as parents team tag to stop and restart the counting on official standards to allow giggles to subside, oxygen to be gathered, and allowing one to actually hide instead of pretending to be a lamp no one notices. . . in the middle of the room ;)  Here are 2 pictures of actual hiding spots as if the giggles weren't the giveaway ;)

 

 

 

 

What good fun!  We laugh, we gasp, we hide, we run, and we pretend.  A truly classic game - Hide N Seek.  As we get older we play different versions of the game with probably a lot less laughter.  We hide from responsibility, procrastinate from duties, ignore calls from sticky relationships that may include bill collectors, frenemies, charity requests, or dramatic friends/family/exes, etc.   Perhaps some of us, most of us, okay probably all of us try to hide from God.  God asks an awful lot of us sometimes.  God whispers, prods, sometimes fully shoves us toward doing good.  God asks and we whine "Don't wanna".  I don't always want to be good.  I sometimes (a lot of time) enjoy being a sloth.  And other times I can barely take care of me and God wants me to be responsible for others?  Yeesh (hands on face pulling down cheeks).  Sometimes we need that time of hiding to be quiet time to grieve, to shake out the mistakes we've made, to forgive the wrongs that stung (from others as well as our own misdoings to self)  but there is a time to also step back into the land of visibility.  We think we are hiding from God but really it's like parents playing Hiding N Seek.  Oh no I can't see you hiding right there in the middle of the living room.  Wherever could my child be as we stroll through the grocery store and the child is strapped in the cart but with eyes closed.  Sometimes God plays along but the game has to end and usually it is abrupt.  No more cooing or whispering of name or laughing at the ridiculous "invisible" pose.  All of sudden "time's up we got things to do.  Clean up this mess so we can move on."  

 

I miss my kid hang outs, secret clubs, and my favorite hiding spot of all in my closet.  I had engineered a hanging flashlight so I could hide amongst my things (including my fantastic sticker collection of over 3000 stickers:)  in comfort with a pillow, a good book, and usually a snack of some sort.  When I entered my closet I was one step closer to Narnia and able to experience true peace, restore energy, and gain a little extra knowledge or creative spark.  But flashlight batteries do not last forever and I would leave my special hiding place to join the real world.  

 

How God must laugh when we attempt to hide in clever spots and yet to God we remain in clear view.  But out of love tends to give us some room and when time calls to us, Time's up sweetheart, stand up, clean up, and let's get going to the places we need to be."  What is even better that although we try to hide and disappear someone is always not just looking for us but looking out for us as well. "  What a blessing to have such an almighty and powerful God!

 

May you find time to play, to laugh, to hide, be sought, and to seek what truly matters. ' Til we meet again. . .       

 

What if . . .

WHAT IF?

 

I fell in love. . . 

 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. --- Philippians 4:10 - 13

 

with my own life? 

 

 

I am a dreamer.  I day dream.  I create stories.  I imagine possibilities.  I people watch and wonder.  I watch movies and hope that life will pick up the cues. I read to visualize.  I problem solve.  I invent ideas.  I play matchmaker.  I want things to connect in ways that click.  

 

These are good things to do sometimes...maybe even a majority of the time.  But all the time?  Tinkerers get tired, cranky, and feel unresolved much of the time.  Because life does not pick up movie cues and ideas that never transfer to material never happen.  Dreamers need to either learn how to translate dreams to reality, partner with a doer, or live unresolved.  That's a tricky place to live.  It's not as tiring as a fence rider who never picks a side.  A dreamer knows to follow the clouds or the stars.  But it can be a ride of discouragement.  The path is long, not smooth, and filled with naysayers who were too discouraged to try or have grown weary themselves.  And let's be honest dreamers we get easily distracted, a brighter star or more interesting cloud easily enchants us away from a purpose to yet another dream. 

 

Has anyone else grown weary?  Oh dreamer who has grown tired, I feel your weariness.  Its like trying to catch butterflies that look so perfect, pristine, and available and as you quiver in anticipation for that amazing capture it flutters away so easily as if there wasn't even a chance of catching that breathless moment of receiving the treasure. 

 

We live in a world full of surveys, contests, tweets, comments, and snapshots.  We are asked, pushed, almost ordered to offer our immediate opinions, judgments, thoughts of anything and everything.  Of course we are critical of ourselves and others.  As advertising is no longer a page in the magazine or a thirty second commercial on television.  Companies merge to offer several products every go around, products place themselves within the shows and movies and offered "freebies" and good deals that constantly direct us back to products and services. It is easy to get swept up into consumerism, false needs, and the not good enough syndrome.  For most dreamers success is defined opposite of everything they are, have, or know.  One too many critics in one's head deflates the dreamer's dreams slowly but surely. And the dreamer who's dreams fade loses themselves.  They too catch greedy fever or needy wantitis. You can call it keeping up with the Joneses or that the grass is always greener.  But really its fear of disappearing.     

 

 

A dreamer knows the little things and wants to magnify them to embrace as many hearts as possible.  Are you a dreamer?  Do you pause before you close the book because of the powerful ending and you want the words to just have a final sigh?  Have you sat through the ending credits of a movie because you were too stunned to move?  Did you ever wake up from a dream with a sigh and close your eyes again to grasp as much detail from it before you start your day?  Was there ever a picture that soothed your soul? Can you remember an invention that you created years ago and you see in reality today?  When was the last time you played the What if game of your memorable moments to create a new better life?  Where would you imagine is the best place to people watch?  Would you like to be a dreamer?

 

 

Were any of these questions close to the heart?  If so there is a good chancer you fall on the dreamer scale somewhere.  But a dreamer tends to tinker past the point worth tinkering or grows tired just short of the finish line  and that's where the critic crushes a dreamer's heart.  What may have been sweet, cute, or amazing can easily turn bitter, ugly, or grotesque.  An unfulfilled dreamer becomes one of the worst critics and nothing is good enough for impossible standards. 

 

I believe I have fallen into that trip.  What started as tinkering became opinions that became critiques that grew into beastly judgments and impossible standards.  Because misery likes company.  Don't get me wrong there are a billion miracles and a gazillion blessings to find in this world.  But rose colored glasses get easily hidden when the tar of misery paints one's perspective.  Once in awhile I'll catch this beautiful image of my life: my son's giggle, my husband hugging me tightly, a sincere compliment at a true moment of weakness,  my dog's wagging tail, or my kitty's in your face demand to be petted, or the phone call from a friend reminding you of your importance.  There are so many other amazing moments where God paints the most beautiful rainbow after the rain, or you witness someone's moment(s) of embracing God's true love.  Or that God will take the time to remind us how wonderful our lives truly can be when we learn to embrace them in love.  Who wants to play a round of the What if game with answers?

 

What if. . .I'm not perfect?  

                 You're not but that's okay.

What if. . .I get hurt?

                  You will but you will grow stronger.

What if . . .I fail?

                 It happens, but success will be that much sweeter.

What if. . .I disappoint someone?

                 This too will happen but offers lessons in apologies, forgiveness, and choice.

What if. . .I fell in love with my own life?

                 That would change everything. 

 

May you fall in love with your own life.  May blessings and miracles be around every corner.  May life grow healthier and FULL as you embrace Feeling Unbelievable & Loving Life.  'Til meet again.. 

 



Always lookin' for a bargain!

 

 



 

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. - Proverbs 21:5

 

 

Raise your hands if you like a bargain?  Whether you are a coupon queen, a negotiating king, a thrifty shopper, or a sneaky sale hound we like to feel victorious over the final deal.  And yet,  we have been convinced that bigger means better, that quantity somehow outweighs quality, and that we must get as much bang for our buck as possible.  We forget that not everything comes in big packages.  I am specifically talking about the value meal.  Today we had a chance to spend the day as a family. We have all been a bit under the weather so our day started late and we decided to go to a BBQ joint (which in South Carolina is pretty much available every other corner ;)  One of my goals is to try new locations and this was a restaurant we hadn't tried yet.  We scoured our coupon drawer (also trying to live within some kind of budget!)  2 victories in one!  The coupon was buy one get one free.   As we approached the counter I studied the menu.  I take menu perusing pretty serious.  I like to try a variety of plates so that I can narrow down the perfect bite. Part of my extreme perfectionistic control perspective.  I'm working on it!  So I am that annoying person in your group who will/has sent away a server at least 2 times before ordering.  I narrowed down my option and consulted my coupon to make sure we were within the parameters of the fine print.  I announced my order proudly and the cashier asked me which size? What? There is a size choice.  Part of my go-to instinct is to grab the bigger size as the meal is free.  And as I am about to speak of course I'll take the bigger size for the better deal.  My mouth clamps shut and my mind gears begin to whirl - is the bigger size really a value?  Either I am going to eat the extra calories as my brain won't tell me until five minutes after swallowing that it is full.  Or I am not going to eat it which may help the scale but then is just a waste of food.  Almost with a stance equal to Superman and a nod of resolve worthy of Wonder Woman I agree to the smaller portion.  Back pat let the applause resound one victory towards the goal!!!! Then the questions continued what 2 sides?  Ummm I wish I could tell you I took the steamed veggies  and turned down the second offer.  But truthfully I asked for corn pudding and potato salad.  We sat down at the table as a family and encouraged our 3 year old we don't sit on the floor or scurry under tables and then as we were the only family in the restaurant let the kid play and talked like adults.  Then three generous plates of food came to our table.  I enjoyed my chicken and had several bites of both sides.  And then I was satisfied.  I have been sick with a bug of some sort so I pretty much inhale liquids and then feel as I am starving for substance.  Take a huge plate but then realize a third of the plate is more than filling.  There was a part of me that wanted to scoop these sides into my mouth but realized again.  Is it really a bargain to shovel extra food in my mouth just because I can?  It was a free meal and even if it wasn't;  regardless how much I eat we still would be out the money we spent.  I offered my son and husband to taste what they want. As I had my fill.  I like tastes that doesn't mean I have to eat all twenty spoonfuls of the helping.  My husband asked if I was done and the quiet resolve and certainty of being satisfied.  That survival almost primitive reflex of a roar to protect my food was seconds away from erupting from my throat.  Whoa!  Step back, reflect, still adequately full, and a simple nod that yes I am finished will not empty the stomach nor will I faint if someone either finishes my food or throws it away.  Whew!  That was close.  How many protective instincts swim around waiting to claim food? Store food?  Hide food?  Just in case I might get the eeniest bit hungry.  Obviously some issues need rethinking and habits some retraining, but today we claim the victory.  Always lookin' for a bargain - but now in light of the big picture of things and not that hasty impractical purchase that just sounds like a bargain ;)

 

May you chase down the thrill of the bargains that will benefit your HealthFULL Journey and gain perspective on what matters, what counts, and what we can do without.  'Til we meet again. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resolution Refreshments

 

 

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,  but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.  Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

- Genesis 2: 5 - 7

 

 

 

I like comfort. Don't you?  It's a trap that is easy to fall into - such as the thought(s) "What can you, your establishment, or the world do for me to make MY life easier?"  Oh wait, that is not at all why God created us.  Hmmm... if I look back on my actions I can see I get lost now and then... on pretty much a daily basis.  From the beginning of the Bible God intended us to "work the ground". And I would have to say at least 85% of the time I am looking for someone to either take my work, make my work easier, or procrastinating/hiding from the work.  Thankfully, it is that time of year when we are reminded to start fresh, to seize the day, and make resolutions.  I know many people are not fan of the resolutions but I like them.  If they don't last all year at least the awareness was attained, the attempt happened, and that one stride in the right direction stops the avalanche of backsliding even if temporarily. Goals are important and whether they are made January 1st, March 23rd, July 12th, or October 19th.  Any day of the year is a good day to start improving oneself - hopefully, for the glory of God.   So in honor of 2014 this once again is the year of FULL (Feeling Unbelievable & Loving Life) Health with 14 goals.  2013 brought a 30 lb. weight loss and maintenance still quite a ways to go but something to build upon:)   

 

#1 - I believe I have a strong relationship with God but could definitely use more intentional time of devotion to the Almighty. This means the daily commitment I tell myself repeatedly that I am going to improve ...tomorrow.  And though I talk/pray daily most days are those rattled off pleas during crisis or daily rotation of grace during meals, bedtime prayers, or immediate check-ins that somehow morph into my to- do lists.  So with intention I want to pray, read scriptures/devotions, and meditate daily for an hour six days a week.  I need a day of grace to either catch up, schlub, or remember other duties. I'm going to permit myself to start slowly starting at 15 minutes and work up to the hour by the beginning of lent. 

 

 

#2 - Still need to kick this extra weight to the curb - 100 pound loss for 2014.  Which may sound crazy ridiculous but A) my body needs to let it go and B) that's less than 10 pounds a month.  I just need to keep reminding myself this weight took 30 plus years to gain it won't come off tomorrow or next week or even by next month - but some pounds can and will! I've got my gym membership I just need to use it. 

 

#3 - Alright to lose the weight means exercise is necessary.  Again gym membership - no excuses!  My trusty Wii probably could use a good dusting and the library DVDs are always a hit around our house.  Drew loves climbing around/on mommy during the workouts - we've had some huge laughs around yoga :)  The eventual goal is five times a week for an hour would be amazing but will start five times in a week for 15 minutes a day to get me started.

 

#4 - Eating healthy needs to be combined with exercise.  I loved our weekly introduction to produce or a grain.  We got away from this fun habit.  Must begin again!!!

 

#5 - Also more meal planning is needed which means more cooking at home.  I would love to see us eating meatless at least once if not twice a week.

 

#6 - Hard to admit but the water drinking is almost non-existent and the soda drinking way on the rise.  Must flip this around.  I know I feel better when I am drinking mostly water but I always buy the last "soda" every shopping trip.  Plus it is expensive!!! Do I quit cold-turkey?  (That sounds awful which means I probably should).  I have these horror images that I will sneak out to a 24 hour grocery story and buy sodas in the middle of the night sipping the forbidden liquid in parking lots glancing around at any nearby person. 

 

#7 - So physical and spiritual health are covered.  And we are half-way.  Mental health would include wait for it - organizational improvement.  This is not my skill set.  But I will keep improving.  As I am a student procrastination is not my friend.  I am actually going to read all of the assigned reading instead of super skimming and all papers will be done 24 hours before deadline not just being started.  I can already feel the stress sliding off my shoulders. 

 

#8 - Housework would help the mental capacities.  I need to figure out a system and commit to it.  I really do like www.flylady.net working a little bit each day and making huge strides in the big picture.

 

#9 - Emotional health includes sharing my gratitude more.  I have these amazing moments in prayer or reflection how truly blessed I am and then I step back into the real world and rarely convey to those I appreciate.  How strange that we can a thank a stranger in a heartbeat but those we truly love and know it is almost embarrassing to truly say what we mean. 

 

#10 - Sometimes we just need to let it out - those words, those thoughts, those moments that just run around in our heads.  To function I need to dump the excess layers of thought somewhere and that is why I have this blog.  So with this many goals I plan to write five times a week about this HealthFULL Journey.  As a way to make sense of the efforts, accountability, and to motivate these needed changes.  Now some blogs might be just a quote but I think the intention and the consistency will help these goals meet success. 

 

#11 - Still too much of a homebody and I am afraid my son will learn that so 2 outings to new places, non frequent visitings, or social/fun meeting family and friends.

 

#12 - I liked the monthly effort to contribute in some way to a different charity and want to attempt that again.

 

#13 - Financial health means a better budget is needed in our household.  What would help with that is a job for me as extra income would help delete some of these extra bills. 

 

#14 - To have fun, be creative, and to seek out new ways to share my faith.

 

May your 2014 bring you:

" And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor. 13:13

God Bless YOU!!!