An update -
I have five - yes FIVE - patterns in the queue, ready for layout.
I have video clips I am piecing together, and working on voiceovers for when my son shrieks in the background. Those of you who participated in the instagram stories, I appreciate your feedback!
Homeschool starts next week. I have 3 homeschooling this year, and I’m so excited but praying a lot.
Life is still rolling, and the extracurriculars are cropping up as well.
I remember in college, my first class of the day was with my professor who was bubbly and exuberant. We were her first college class, and did a lot of learning together. In our first week, we were told: “take notes as I’m lecturing. There’s no way you’re going to remember all this, and if you want to be a teacher you’ve GOT to learn to multi-task,” and we’d be scribbling away, listening, group discussing, and asking questions. That was fantastic for me. My notes were beautifully color-coded, but honestly, I never referenced them. Once I wrote it down, it was in my brain for good.
I’d leave that class for the next, with the solemn and wise Dr. K. We were instructed, “Don’t take notes. Listen to me. You can’t multi-task. To multi-task is to switch between tasks quickly; you can’t actually do more than one thing at a time. Just listen, and let your brain do the work of ruminating and synthesizing the information later.” At first the whole class chuckled and we were confused, but compliant. It was refreshing, but also an exercise in active listening.
Years later, I see the wisdom in both approaches. Both class methods encompass ways I handle things in life now.
There’s a time to Martha - a time to work, to prepare. Scheduling, schooling, making, typing, moving with urgency - being busy isn’t always bad. This is my go-to. I love to be productive and busy, and sticking to a routine with energy brings me a certain peace.
Making time to Mary - to rest, to listen, to stop everything and find calm and refreshment right in the middle of the chaos - is the harder choice for me. It can seem like a sacrifice, like there are consequences. “If I don’t get _ done, then I’ll have more to do later.” Possibly. Every yes is a no to something else, but I think that’s where you have to choose the better part.
There’s a time to get after it, and a time to let it come to you.
As fall gets closer, it is my time to balance both. To steward both rest and productivity in a way that cultivates productivity and a happy home. To be the piggy that goes to market (to sell), and the piggy that stays home.
All that to say - I want to get everything done, but I want it done well and not at the expense of the most important things. You deserve my best, and that’s what I’ll give you.
And to you - whatever season you find yourself in, find yourself a little pocket of rest. Or find a small task you can stack onto another task to make your life a little smoother. Or, you can do like me, and make a list with some pretty pens.