Happy days

"My life is not busy . . . my life is full.  There's a difference."*  

I am doing great.  I'm firmly ensconced in my favorite budget hotel (the Sleep Inn in Stafford--it's fabulous!) after a wonderful supper from Saltgrass.  I had a perfect relaxing massage by an intern at the massage school down the road and she told me that my muscles were mostly relaxed with no serious spots of tension--first time I've EVER heard that!

This is even more meaningful because I fully expected to be a twitching, hyperventilating basket case by now.  10 weeks ago, C and I looked at my schedule and girded our loins for a difficult season.  I've spent at least one night out of town every single week for nine weeks--for a total of 22 nights.  In that time, I've heard some inspiring speakers, visited with dear friends and family, gone to Kansas for the first time,  kept up my usual client load, witnessed the process of transformation in individuals, couples and congregations, taught Sunday School, lost a trivia game with Boo, and managed to work out occasionally.  It's been a wild and wonderful ride and in 3 days, it will be over.

I've been practicing expanding my capacity for this for a long time now and right now feels like crossing the finish line with  energy to spare (which, by the way, I hope to do when I finish a 5K this spring).  More good news:  C and I have actually managed to stay well-connected during this time, although he did comment once, "I didn't think the empty nest would be me and the cat."  The only bad news:  no matter how much you can fit in, it's just not possible to fit it all, so there are still big chunks of unfinished business waiting for me at home and at work and in my relationships . . . and I think I'm learning that there will be time for those too . . . in time.

Lest you think I'm getting the big head, know that this feels like a gift--a great big grace gift from a God who (I believe) gave me this full and wonderful life (I think the word He used was "abundant," actually) and is also teaching me how to live it.

*(Read it in a magazine but have no idea who said it. Google didn't really help.)