Tuesday March 22 2016  ONE HOUR BLOG

I am on a mission.  My mission is to write this blog in 45 minutes and proof it in 15 minutes.  So you may assume that it will be short and sweet.  Well, we’ll see.  And again, you may assume it will be easier to do. Less time equals fewer words and fewer words equal less time.  That is not necessarily the case.  I have done experiments such as this in the past and I find that the shorter the blog, the longer it takes to write.  First I must write from the heart, which for me, means wordy.  Secondly, I must go back and re-read and cut and cut and cut.  Well, my purpose to day is to write it quickly, efficiently, and with fewer words.  The fewer the words, the less I have to proof.

Again, my favorite husband has encouraged me to do this.  Right now every moment I have is being used to prepare for our trip.  I am not the person who packs one little bag, goes to the door, and announces I am ready.  When I say I am ready to go Dave always knows that regardless where we are going it usually means at least ten more minutes before I get out the door.  I like to be prepared.  And being prepared usually means I take too much stuff!  I should have learned that lesson with last year’s excursion across the states.  But no…I do not think I have come full circle yet.  I am hoping to improve with this jaunt.  Just because it takes me longer to prepare for events does not necessarily make the event have a better outcome.  That I have learned.  And so it is with life.

Sometimes the simplest thing you do, that which takes the least amount of preparation, often has the best results.  When so much planning and focus and consternation is needed to accomplish that which is meant to be relaxing and restorative,  it can cause so much anxiety that it makes what you are doing not worth the effort.  I have found that to be true.  So…my goal, do less, take less, spend less time on the fussing, and just get up and go!  

When I travel alone I make all the decisions.  I set the start and end time, I choose the course, and if I get lost I just go with the flow.  When I travel with my spouse I must SET A TIME of departure and I certainly must have an estimation as to when we will arrive.  When I traveled solo last year I only traveled in the daylight.  I would map my course as to how many hours it would take and then allow myself about twice that amount of time to arrive at my destination.  I also only gave approximations as to what time I would be arriving at a certain destination.  And pretty much, it worked out.  I found that I got along very well with myself, regardless if I wanted to turn down a side road to investigate because it “looked interesting”, drive all the back roads, or just follow a new route when I became lost.  Becoming lost was sometimes fun.  Ultimately, I always knew where I was going and how to get there.  That’s all that mattered.  What mattered least was all the STUFF that I carted along behind me.  All the stuff that took me weeks to get ready. 

This trip, we are taking less, spending less time preparing, have a more direct schedule, and driving straight through to each destination.  I must be precise in when we leave and when we arrive because Dave is very time oriented and does not like to be late.  My philosophy is that if I just don’t set a time, then I am never late.  So you see, this year will be different.  But that’s okay.  I am learning and it will be exceptionally fun to have Dave by my side.    AND WE WON’T HAVE AS MUCH STUFF!  However, Dave did give me encouragement today when I mentioned taking a pan I want to bake in.  I thought he would think it a bad idea and discourage me from taking it.  After all, just one more thing to take.  But, to my surprise, he did not discourage me at all.  He suggested I might want to take it because it works so well for the purpose for which I need it.  And…he even told me how to pack it.  When I told him I thought he wouldn’t want me to add one more thing, he responded, “Well, you can get away with whatever  you can sneak in”.  Hmm…that was a great door opener for me.

We will depart on Saturday.  And who knows what might be hidden in the secret compartment below the trunk.  You never can tell.  I’ll just load it into the car quickly.  You see, what takes the longest to do is not necessarily the most important. And whatever I can get away with might be exactly what we need.

I actually have twelve minutes and 55 seconds left to write before the 45 minutes are up.  My blog is ALMOST finished.  Oops I still must write the poem.

A LITTLE SOMETHING GOES A LONG WAY

By Kathleen Martens

March 22, 2016

That which takes the most of your time

Is not always what makes life sublime.

Figure a way to get things done

That will help you have more fun.

Short and sweet, accomplish your goals

The rest of the time, be a free soul.

Don’t do as much, for pity sakes,

The less stress how short it takes.

You’ll find that less may be better

You may have time to write a letter,

Or call a friend and have a chat,

Or go out, to do this or that.

Just because something takes hours

Doesn’t mean it has much power.

A little something goes a long way

And gives you much more time to play.

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

To get there, though, make sure you…

PART 5: Check Yourself by God’s Word

Let’s be honest. We aren’t so good at evaluating ourselves. We will go to great lengths to excuse our behavior, our actions, and our sins. Who needs a defense attorney when we can pretty much find a reason for any bad thing we do? The prophet Jeremiah captures this very well:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

If we’re ever going to truly trust in God and flee evil, we have to know exactly where we stand. We have to find an objective measure that tells us the truth. And that truth comes from God and His Word.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll always like what we see or how we see it:

“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke” (Proverbs 3:11)

That’s right. Sometimes it takes something bad happening or seeing ourselves in a bad light before we finally admit that we need to change. And the more we’re in the Bible, the more likely this is to happen.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

When we have Scripture planted firmly in our hearts, God will often use that to deal with us.

My 45 minutes timer hasn’t gone off yet.  So far I am on track. 

GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU THIS DAY

P.S.  Okay, this is the end.  I am ready to publish and I went three minutes and thirty six seconds over my one hour.