On Savoring September and Not Coming Down.
Whew. September is whizzing by, which is really all the better to make way for sweet October. But September has been pretty good so far, and I am doing my best to savor the sweet moments from this month. Scott and I are moving through our monthly goals list while also finding time to do fun things and enjoy time with each other.
I'm happy to say that I am ACLS certified spending after entirely too much time studying; I've gotten back on track with Med/Surg studying and will be taking that class at the end of October. Several people have told me you don't have to study for that test but it's not in my personality to not do that. Plus, I'm finding that as I study, I'm getting a refresher on certain diseases that I see often but never have time to research at work. So it's all good learning, really. I'm also still torn on which exam I am taking (there's two you can take to get the certification as a Med/Surg certified nurse) so I figure it's better to prepare for both!
As for things around our home: the TV mounting process has turned out to be.. long. The wall that we really want to mount our TV on has some sort of weird internal architecture that doesn't include many studs, so we are having to mount two pieces of wood on the wall to then attach the mount to. We've been having a little bit of fun with this-- Scott found the wood and sanded it and I've been staining it. I really enjoy this and find it to be good practice for our future. Being budget-minded, DIY sort of people, we are really hoping to build some of our own furniture whenever we settle down in a more permanent location. I think this is becoming a trend now, so hopefully by the time we are actually able to do this there will be lots of tutorials and neat furniture designs!
We've also done a few other things to the apartment that have made it feel a bit more homey. After we mount the TV on the wall we should have plenty of room to put our new chair that we bought off of Craig's List for our living room, and late one night last week I decided to move our bookcase into our bedroom and moved a smaller shelf out into our hallway, which makes it feel homier. For some reason we always choose to do these things at odd hours and I'm always left laughing at how ridiculous these things end up seeming the next day. But for now we're happy with home improvements until we have a more permanent settling-down place. Small furniture projects make me feel a little less nomadic and more like this apartment really is home for us.
As for writing this month, things have slowed down a little bit after having one SUPER productive week. I think I wrote 25-30 pages in one week, and now I'm up to 40 total. But the extra 10 came from a week when I am working 52 hours at the hospital and have become ACLS certified, so I think that's not so bad. Shauna Niequist wrote a blog post today that I totally identify with about writing (The Bends, the Shouting, the Real Work). I'm experiencing what she writes about-- about having to create silence and quiet to write. It's so easy to let the busy-ness of your life take over and take the place of sacred writing time. The dishes pile up in the sink and the floor desperately needs vacuuming, and bills still wait to be paid and birthdays still come and go. You want to present for all of these things-- the cleaning, the financial responsibility, and the celebrating, but you have to quiet it all and say that you are in the midst of doing something very important and that you cannot split yourself into so many pieces. Leave the dishes in the sink and go celebrate birthdays, you'll be glad you did.
But what it comes down to is the dream-chasing. I've wanted to write a book for so long, and now I'm actually doing it, and I cannot let other things get in the way of it. I have to carve time out of this busy, noisy life to be a dream chaser, otherwise my dreams will be easily lost in the hustle and bustle of living. It takes discipline to sit down and do this, but for the sake of chasing my dreams, I must do it. I'm reminded of Nehemiah when I think about this. I did a study a few months ago with the She Reads Truth community on Nehemiah, and I remember one of the studies really stuck with me. In Nehemiah 6, Nehemiah is being called upon to do some other thing while he is trying to do the work of God in rebuilding the wall. As tempted as he might be to run off and take a break from the wall, his response shows his steadfast love to these people and his dedication to completing his work. In verse 3, he says to them, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
That's what I'm doing. I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. I am not of the type who likes to say I have been called to do something, but I do feel God's hand on me as I write every day. I feel His Spirit leading me and helping me with the words I want to say, the stories I want to share, the joy and grace I want others to feel when they read.
I hope that this week has been good to you all and that you are finding joy in September. Savor it and be thankful for it; it's that time of year for changing seasons and with that, a changing attitude about what is ahead. And whatever great project you are doing right now, whether it's something at work, a school project, something in your personal life, decide whether you need to turn down some other things around you to accomplish your great work. And if you must say no to a rampant cleaning spree and organizing or if you must say no to things that you don't need in your life right now as you're working away, don't be afraid to say that you are doing a great work and cannot come down. There will be a time when you can come down. And maybe you can now, but be sure you prioritize the busy-ness of your life so that it doesn't consume you.
Lots of love,
C.
I'm happy to say that I am ACLS certified spending after entirely too much time studying; I've gotten back on track with Med/Surg studying and will be taking that class at the end of October. Several people have told me you don't have to study for that test but it's not in my personality to not do that. Plus, I'm finding that as I study, I'm getting a refresher on certain diseases that I see often but never have time to research at work. So it's all good learning, really. I'm also still torn on which exam I am taking (there's two you can take to get the certification as a Med/Surg certified nurse) so I figure it's better to prepare for both!
As for things around our home: the TV mounting process has turned out to be.. long. The wall that we really want to mount our TV on has some sort of weird internal architecture that doesn't include many studs, so we are having to mount two pieces of wood on the wall to then attach the mount to. We've been having a little bit of fun with this-- Scott found the wood and sanded it and I've been staining it. I really enjoy this and find it to be good practice for our future. Being budget-minded, DIY sort of people, we are really hoping to build some of our own furniture whenever we settle down in a more permanent location. I think this is becoming a trend now, so hopefully by the time we are actually able to do this there will be lots of tutorials and neat furniture designs!
We've also done a few other things to the apartment that have made it feel a bit more homey. After we mount the TV on the wall we should have plenty of room to put our new chair that we bought off of Craig's List for our living room, and late one night last week I decided to move our bookcase into our bedroom and moved a smaller shelf out into our hallway, which makes it feel homier. For some reason we always choose to do these things at odd hours and I'm always left laughing at how ridiculous these things end up seeming the next day. But for now we're happy with home improvements until we have a more permanent settling-down place. Small furniture projects make me feel a little less nomadic and more like this apartment really is home for us.
As for writing this month, things have slowed down a little bit after having one SUPER productive week. I think I wrote 25-30 pages in one week, and now I'm up to 40 total. But the extra 10 came from a week when I am working 52 hours at the hospital and have become ACLS certified, so I think that's not so bad. Shauna Niequist wrote a blog post today that I totally identify with about writing (The Bends, the Shouting, the Real Work). I'm experiencing what she writes about-- about having to create silence and quiet to write. It's so easy to let the busy-ness of your life take over and take the place of sacred writing time. The dishes pile up in the sink and the floor desperately needs vacuuming, and bills still wait to be paid and birthdays still come and go. You want to present for all of these things-- the cleaning, the financial responsibility, and the celebrating, but you have to quiet it all and say that you are in the midst of doing something very important and that you cannot split yourself into so many pieces. Leave the dishes in the sink and go celebrate birthdays, you'll be glad you did.
But what it comes down to is the dream-chasing. I've wanted to write a book for so long, and now I'm actually doing it, and I cannot let other things get in the way of it. I have to carve time out of this busy, noisy life to be a dream chaser, otherwise my dreams will be easily lost in the hustle and bustle of living. It takes discipline to sit down and do this, but for the sake of chasing my dreams, I must do it. I'm reminded of Nehemiah when I think about this. I did a study a few months ago with the She Reads Truth community on Nehemiah, and I remember one of the studies really stuck with me. In Nehemiah 6, Nehemiah is being called upon to do some other thing while he is trying to do the work of God in rebuilding the wall. As tempted as he might be to run off and take a break from the wall, his response shows his steadfast love to these people and his dedication to completing his work. In verse 3, he says to them, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
That's what I'm doing. I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. I am not of the type who likes to say I have been called to do something, but I do feel God's hand on me as I write every day. I feel His Spirit leading me and helping me with the words I want to say, the stories I want to share, the joy and grace I want others to feel when they read.
I hope that this week has been good to you all and that you are finding joy in September. Savor it and be thankful for it; it's that time of year for changing seasons and with that, a changing attitude about what is ahead. And whatever great project you are doing right now, whether it's something at work, a school project, something in your personal life, decide whether you need to turn down some other things around you to accomplish your great work. And if you must say no to a rampant cleaning spree and organizing or if you must say no to things that you don't need in your life right now as you're working away, don't be afraid to say that you are doing a great work and cannot come down. There will be a time when you can come down. And maybe you can now, but be sure you prioritize the busy-ness of your life so that it doesn't consume you.
Lots of love,
C.
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