Making Room

 

 

Over the past few weeks, temperatures continue to make me think summer is still here, but I know that fall arrived because of my schedule.  For many, the start of school marks new beginnings.  Just like the New Year, fall provides the opportunity for a fresh start on many fronts.  We often think of fresh starts as a chance to improve our habits, health and life.  The goals which have lingered or fallen short get a breath of new life, when we think of starting again.  However, I also want to challenge you to consider fresh starts as a time to tidy up your life.  By letting go of things you may not need to be doing anymore, you can make some room in your already full life.  We all need room to breathe and space to explore where we have never had time to before.  What might be on your list?

 

One thing I love to do in the fall, that helps me see everything I include in my life, is to print off a two-month calendar and write it all down.  I normally live by my digital version, but it is so easy to never print it out.  By not having a hard copy, I rarely see my weeks or months at a glance.  I can fill days on end and not realize how taxed my life is until I am feeling it through fatigue, stress or chaos.  Rather than printing what already exists, I take a fresh calendar and start by adding the things I am enjoying or looking forward to most.  I then add in my known responsibilities and travels.  I begin to see a pattern in my schedule and where holes or open spaces exist.  If it appears I might be stretched too thin or have limited space, I can evaluate what I might need to let go, before I am in the middle of it all.

 

When we are willing to let go of things we don’t need to be involved with any longer or don’t enjoy anymore, we free ourselves up to discover newfound pleasures and tasks.  The worst situations I have found myself in are when I had the chance to let go, but held on too long.  So when the wonderful new opportunity arrived at my door step, I had to say no because I couldn’t fit it in.  There have been times when I felt the nudge to let go and did, not really understanding why.  But then, being extremely grateful I had, because now I could include this wonderful option I knew nothing about at the time.  Trusting your nudge is just relying on the Holy Spirit in the small nuances and waiting to see what happens.

 

The rain has started to fall and the leaves are changing colors.  Soon, the trees will let go—making room for what won’t appear for several months—yet we will all wait in anticipation!  Spring, something new, bursting forth.  Take a little time as you begin this new season upon us and see what you might be able to let go of.  You never know what you might be making space for in your life.  Whatever it is, you will be glad you did!