It's great when you can take a few days to plunge into something. It's even better when you have something to show for it. Of course, that something may not be an actual physical product, as much as new wisdom, or the satisfaction that you really are living out of your beliefs.
I spent this last week with my mom, fairly ensconced in wedding prep. We decided to take a running start at making bridesmaids dresses, which had us up to our elbows in fabric, patterns and sewing machines. It was an interesting blend of action - the wedding is coming up fairly soon, and creativity - as we spent two evenings with the sisters trying on half-completed dresses. We scrapped first one idea, then another. At one point, I thought I might be channeling Coco, but not so much. At the end of two days, with the additional fabric we ordered nowhere in sight, the dresses looking less than desirable, and time running out, we called it a day. As that great modern day guru, Kenny Rogers, croons: "you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run." There was no doubt it was time to walk away, and move on to plan D.
There's a great sense of freedom in knowing that you can walk away from two days of hard labor with nothing to show for it. Nothing to apologize for, nothing to prove. As my mother said, it keeps you humble. Working under a time constraint also makes you pony up to your deeper beliefs. When stress becomes toxic - you have the deer in the headlights look (my sister noticed that when she came to visit) or you begin to blame other people in the process, you know you have to let it go. Keeping peace, especially your own, is more important than meeting a deadline. And more and more, I believe that it's not an either/or. Somehow dresses will show up for the wedding. That's a matter of practical faith. It also follows a logical series of proposition.
Proposition 1: this wedding is a good thing.
Proposition 2: good things have the blessing of God and the energy of the universe backing them up.
Proposition 3: a way will appear
Proposition 4: this includes bridsmaids dresses.
I'm also trying to believe that if you are doing the best you can, assistance will come to you. And even if you haven't done the best you can, you can always ask for grace.
Furthermore, you can live responsibly as a Myers-Briggs type "P". This is the sort of person whose energy peaks at the idea phase and fades when the actual work needs doing. They prefer to make decisions at the last possible moment, keeping their options open, which can make the "J" decision-loving people nuts. The goal is to trust that the universe is making an unknown appointment with the "J" people on your behalf. That when something really has to happen, your organized friends (or sisters in this case) will have time available. The key thing here is - don't pressure anybody - yourself when things can get overwhelming, or others when you're finally ready to make a decision.
No dresses to show for this week, but immersion in my left-brain (hours at a sewing machine) feels really good. Living out my personal philosophy feels even better.
I spent this last week with my mom, fairly ensconced in wedding prep. We decided to take a running start at making bridesmaids dresses, which had us up to our elbows in fabric, patterns and sewing machines. It was an interesting blend of action - the wedding is coming up fairly soon, and creativity - as we spent two evenings with the sisters trying on half-completed dresses. We scrapped first one idea, then another. At one point, I thought I might be channeling Coco, but not so much. At the end of two days, with the additional fabric we ordered nowhere in sight, the dresses looking less than desirable, and time running out, we called it a day. As that great modern day guru, Kenny Rogers, croons: "you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run." There was no doubt it was time to walk away, and move on to plan D.
There's a great sense of freedom in knowing that you can walk away from two days of hard labor with nothing to show for it. Nothing to apologize for, nothing to prove. As my mother said, it keeps you humble. Working under a time constraint also makes you pony up to your deeper beliefs. When stress becomes toxic - you have the deer in the headlights look (my sister noticed that when she came to visit) or you begin to blame other people in the process, you know you have to let it go. Keeping peace, especially your own, is more important than meeting a deadline. And more and more, I believe that it's not an either/or. Somehow dresses will show up for the wedding. That's a matter of practical faith. It also follows a logical series of proposition.
Proposition 1: this wedding is a good thing.
Proposition 2: good things have the blessing of God and the energy of the universe backing them up.
Proposition 3: a way will appear
Proposition 4: this includes bridsmaids dresses.
I'm also trying to believe that if you are doing the best you can, assistance will come to you. And even if you haven't done the best you can, you can always ask for grace.
Furthermore, you can live responsibly as a Myers-Briggs type "P". This is the sort of person whose energy peaks at the idea phase and fades when the actual work needs doing. They prefer to make decisions at the last possible moment, keeping their options open, which can make the "J" decision-loving people nuts. The goal is to trust that the universe is making an unknown appointment with the "J" people on your behalf. That when something really has to happen, your organized friends (or sisters in this case) will have time available. The key thing here is - don't pressure anybody - yourself when things can get overwhelming, or others when you're finally ready to make a decision.
No dresses to show for this week, but immersion in my left-brain (hours at a sewing machine) feels really good. Living out my personal philosophy feels even better.
