Holiday Sanity

Every year I brace for the holidays with the belief that I will not get stressed out, I won't overeat, I will keep working out, and have faith that all the necessary chores will get done. Maybe the end of the year is like the end of life. You think of all the things you didn't get done and try to cram them in at the end. Gigs, activities, people to see, things to buy. I booked us for not one, but two gigs next weekend. (well, the Saturday gig is just me -- playing piano for a few hours at an open house for charity) I can't remember when my company holiday party is. I'd like to do a photo holiday card but not sure which photo is right. And the presents -- my mind is just blank. I do know I want to wrap them in "green" canvas grocery bags. They really make great gifts. Both Bob and I are going to take the week between Christmas and New Year's off. So that's something to look forward to. We need a plan. In fact the secret of getting through this season is stepping up the planning. Not that there's no down time -- but just a little more so that the important things are sure to get done. Take a little quiet time each day. Remember I've lived through 50+ Christmases so far and it all gets done somehow. Breathe in peace, breathe out stress. Ohmmmmmmmmmmm...Peace out until 2011.

What's important?

Steven Covey wrote in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People about prioritizing time into four quadrants: Urgent and important, urgent and not important, important and not urgent, and not urgent and not important. (why am I hearing Edith Bunker recite that in my head?) Apparently the key to effectiveness is focusing on what is important and not necessarily urgent. Where does Facebook fit? (I digress) Back to my question -- what is important? An even more annoying question is how do you define importance?

In a word, people. Relationships. (oops, two words) That doesn't mean I constantly spend time with people. It does mean I don't blow them off. And how I spend time with them matters. Do I really listen? Do I perform acts of service? Am I trustworthy? Do I do what I say, walk the talk, practice what I preach? Except for the preaching, those actions nurture relationships. So that begs the question what tears them down? Being too busy to pay attention. Focusing on my own problems too much. Nagging. Neglecting. Forgetting. Sometimes churches are so activity-heavy in the name of caring for one another that we get overcommitted and neglect our friends. "I don't have time for you because of church." Now if that isn't the enemy using church to do harm, I don't know what is!

I know that if my own inner well is empty, I'm no good for anyone. So it's important to put God, the ultimate well-filler, first on my list. But do I? Um, many times I'm just "too busy." He doesn't want my time for Himself, because He has all the time in the world. It's for my benefit to put God first on my priority list. He may have some things to tell me that I'm too busy to listen to. When I blow Him off, I'm playing God with my life. That's a lot of pressure, and it doesn't work. So in this case I'd say it's important to practice what I preach. And to remember that God loves people more than anything. More than anything, He wants them to know He'd rather die than let them go. I don't remember who wrote the song that said that, but thank you. I needed to get my priorities straight today.