Rest, God did.

Genesis 2:2 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."

Yes, we have heard that it is important to take a Sabbath because, after all, God did on the seventh day. Easy to say before the day of the Blackberry. It is so tempting to just glance at that one email, but that one glance steals my rest immediately. Why do I do it? If God rested, what do I think is so important to keep me from doing the same.

As I looked closer at this verse, I not only see how God rested, but how He worked contributing to the ability to rest. Here is what I saw:

1. "God finished"--It is so much easier to rest when a task is completed and not taunting us with "if you just gave me a few minutes, I'd be done." Even though we know it really means an hour or two.
   
   
2. "the work he had been doing"--There was focus on a specific task until it was complete. I tend to start a new task in the middle of another one, so that on my desk there are four or five incomplete tasks instead of one finished one.


3. "He rested"--Just those words make my shoulders relax and my heart rate slow.


4. "from all his work"--Everything is put away; there is no checking that one email, or looking up that one report. It is rest from all the work we have, putting it all down for the sake of rest.

I let technology steal my rest all the time. When I put it down, I am freed up to engage with the people, silence, laughter, or creation around me.

Rest is good for my health (spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional).

Rest is good for my marriage.

Rest is good for my relationships.

So let's rest!

Food for Though

These are some quotes I ran across this week that I enjoyed:

"There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less." G.K. Chesterton

"Everything we own owns us. It takes time to use it, dust it, paint it, maintain it, build space in a house for it, and work to pay for it." Richard Swanson

"My joy comes from clothing myself with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. It is joy because it is so precious to God." Cynthia Heald

Enjoy!

Bad Day Box

We all have those bad days when we want to write the word "fail" on that day of the calendar. I can become consumed with my mistakes, people's negative opinions of me (whether perceived or real), and wonder if what I am doing with my life.

Instead of crawling under the covers with a tub of cookie dough, searching online for jobs in Hawaii, break open the "Bad Day Box."

The Bad Day Box is a box where I keep encouraging notes, cards, emails, or keepsakes that people have given to me that are full of words that touched my heart. It is a reminder of the all the good things that people have to say to me and about me. It takes a few minutes to open it up and remember that "fail" might have described my day, but not my life.

Put together your own Bad Day Box:

1. You can pick up a fun hat box at the store, decorate your own box if you are crafty, or pick up a photo storage box.



2. Tuck the box away in a place, where it's easy to access and you will see it often in case you need it. Mine is in my home office in a cupboard with office supplies.



3. Every time you get a note or email, pictures, or something else that has encouraged you, stick in the box.

You can even do this for a friend, loved one, or your kids and fill it with notes and words that you want to encourage them with!

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

My first purchase of the new year was an old Huffy beach cruiser, complete with a basket on the front, for $65 off of Craig's list.

I had read on one of my favorite blogs, Zen Habits, that one of the reasons that as a whole, the Japanese are healthier than Americans is because they walk or ride a bike everywhere. While I am not going to ride my bike everywhere, I thought, What is close enough to me that I could ride a bike to? And what came to mind is the grocery store and gas station around the corner, which is located on a strip mall that has all sorts of other stores also. We are constantly making those trips around the corner for the ingredient we forgot or what we are "all out of," or renting a movie from the DVD kiosk at the gas station for $1.49 (this is one of our favorite habits).

What if instead of doing those quick trips around the corner in my car, I rode a bike?

I could save on gas and emissions, be green, and put some more activity in my life. Sounds good. And so I searched for a low-cost bike, so that if this plan turns out like most New Year's resolutions, at least I'm not out too much cash.


I also picked up a pink bike helmet for about $15 and a matching pink bike lock for about $13. All in all, a $93 investment. My goal was to spend less than $100 on the whole ordeal.

And yes, I did take my bike for it's maiden voyage to the grocery store, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and I learned a few things:

1. People think it's cute when a child rides their bike to the grocery store, and a little weird when an adult does.


2. People don't want to make eye contact with a grown woman riding a bike with a basket wearing a pink bike helmet.


3. The only adult that made eye contact with me and smiled was an old hippie, wearing a poncho, who was also riding his bike.


4. Cars definitely saw me and gave me the right away--I also attribute that to the pink bike helmet.


5. It takes me about the same time to ride my bike to the grocery store as it takes to drive (because of traffic lights and parking).


6. It takes about 2 blocks before my thighs start burning.


7. Helmet hair is not as bad as I thought.

I have to say that I also enjoyed hearing the sounds of the outdoor world instead of my radio yelling commercials at me. My cell phone rang, but I couldn't answer it because I am not talented enough to talk and ride at the same time, and I enjoyed the time to myself not on the phone. I also got to reward myself with an extra cookie without any guilt.

My conclusion is that it was totally worth it and I will do it again!

The Quick Fix

We all have our ways to deal with stress. I really love a good massage, a pedicure, the scalp massage that comes with a good haircut, a movie with a happy ending. But most of those cost a pretty penny, and the daisy life is about living simply and low cost.


My husband and I took a recent trip with his parents to La Jolla, and during this relaxing week, I realized the quick fix to built up stress: A good hug (and maybe a kiss, but let's focus on the hugging part since kisses can be hard to come by, and it is the cold and flu season after all).

Yes, the beach and ocean are great, but I live in the desert of Tucson, AZ (though we do live right off the banks of the lovely Rillito, which should be Spanish for "really big sand ditch"), but really makes all those muscles in my neck release is a great big hug, a bear hug, a tight squeeze.

Here are some fun tidbits that I found online about hugging by googling "facts about hugs":

• Hugging assists the immune system



• Hugging helps induce sleep



• A snuggle is a longish hug



• Hugs are free



• Humans need 4 hugs/day to survive and 8 hugs/day to maintain a strong emotional level
  

Instead of spending extra money on a shopping trip or a gourme coffee drink to feel beter..I think I'll go hug someone!

Hugging "facts" found at: www.poofcat.com/friend9.html, www.superlaugh.com/1/hugfacts.htm, www.pennyparker2.com/facts.html

Daisy Resolution update:

1. Weekly blog entry: I completed a post--so it's not the most creative or clever, but it is posted.
2. Money spent on clothes so far: $0
3. Store less stuff: I have created a "garage sale" closet that will hopefully be empty by the end of January
4. Book: Still working on the Eisenhower biography
5. Balance my credit card: $0