Jumble of Thoughts

My brain has been one big jumble of ideas and ponderings lately.  Not one of them is enough for their own blog post, but together, they may just create the mother of all blog posts.  Here goes... 

I'm amazed at how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unifies people.  At the gym a few weeks ago, I mentioned how Clayton adjusting to the Kids Club would help him adjust to nursery.  A couple of ladies behind me laughed when I said that.  And, we then conversed about being LDS.  I saw them again a week or so later and commented on the BYU shirt one was wearing.  We exchanged names and tried to make connections about people we both know.  Now, we say hi and wave at each other in passing.  Just that one commonality has made us friends.  I wonder what I have in common with the other people at the gym?  Would anything else connect us as much as a shared religion?

My brain has been foggy lately.  I feel like I just can't get on top of things.  There are probably 100 things I could blame it on, but my daily blame of choice is the lack of sunshine.  I seem to do better on sunny days--but I'm not sure if that's placebo effect or reality.  We're going to try full-spectrum lightbulbs in a few places in the house.  If that doesn't work, I'm getting a "happy light."  I'm hoping it helps.

I need to create a new and improved housekeeping system.  I've been looking into card file systems and plan to make one soon.  That way, I can keep track of what I'm doing instead of feeling like the house will never be clean again.  (Or really, in the first place.)  Now, if I could just get my brain in gear and get those cards done...

We're going cheapie on our cable.  Since we rarely watch TV these days, we have decided to pay less.  Unfortunately, this also means that the channels I actually DO watch (HGTV, Food Network) will be gone.  I'm a little nervous about this, but figure that there will be other ways to spend my time.  Like playing on facebook...or browsing foodgawker.com. Because those are infinitely better than watching TV.

Kallie's kindergarten class put on a "Snow Show" last Friday.  They all did a fantastic job!  They were to wear blue and white clothing--and Kallie desperately wanted a denim skirt to wear.  So, I decided to make her a blue skirt.  She looked darling with her blue skirt, white tights, white shirt, and bright pink galoshes. 

I'm participating in a fitness challenge for the next 4 months--we earn points for doing certain things (exercising, following our eating plan, and drinking water) on a daily basis.  Everyone offers a prize and at the end of the challenge, the person with the most points gets to choose the first prize...and then on down the list.  We also earn points for meeting a monthly challenge.  This month, the challenge is No Treats, which we have interpreted as no sugar.  We're 2 weeks into that challenge--and I've done OK so far.  But today, all I want is chocolate.  Really good, dark, creamy chocolate.  Apparently, though, those 5 points are more important than that chocolate.  I'm sure that's a good thing.

Well, there are many of my recent thoughts.  My washer and dryer just chimed, so it's time to get on with my evening...

Inspiration and Resolutions

Last year, about this time, I was recovering from our Christmas travels.  (Vowing never to travel for Christmas again.)  And looking toward the coming year.  I had a 4 1/2 month old baby and longed to feel, once again, like I had it all together.  Or at least like it would be possible to have it all together again...at some point...in the future. 

And suddenly, everyone was in the midst of announcing their New Year's resolutions. 

I convinced myself that I was never very good at resolutions.  History had taught me that the one thing I most wanted to set a goal for (weight loss) was next to impossible until I was done nursing my baby--which wouldn't happen until closer to the end of the year.  And most other life-changes seemed nearly impossible in the state of mind in which I found myself.  Therefore, I decided, any thought of resolutions would be neatly swept under the rug and left untouched.  For at least another year.

Throughout the year, one friend's resolution returned to my mind repeatedly.  If only I had the presence of mind to choose such an apt goal.  Most of all, I didn't want to be a copy cat and, half way through the year, decide that was going to be my aim as well.  If only I had gotten to it first.  But I didn't. 

All year, the idea of one year-long resolution pressed on my mind.  I thought, "If I were to choose one theme for next year, what would it be?"  I thought about all I needed my theme to encompass...all I wanted to become in a matter of 12 months.  And I was stumped.  As December progressed, I thought and prayed and talked to my husband about it.  One recent night, as he was sleeping...and I couldn't sleep, I picked up my November 2010 Ensign.  As I scanned the Table of Contents and decided the only talk that looked interesting at the moment was "Reflections on a Consecrated Life"--by Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

As I read, I knew.  This was my theme.  There was no intense burning, no strike of lightning, just that quiet knowing feeling that this was the answer to my prayers and pondering.  My single resolution this year is Consecration.  I will focus on purity, work, respect for my body, service, and integrity as I seek to further consecrate my life. 

True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives--

that is, our time and choices--to God's purposes. 

In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny.

--Elder D. Todd Christofferson

(Thanks to Heidi for the year-long inspiration.  I hope my 2011 is as life-changing as her 2010 was!)