Time Flies

Where did the summer go? July, for me, was wonderfully busy with houseguests and family visits, gardening and yard work, summer projects and remembering to relax with my grandkids. But August snuck in on the heels of July and sped off in the direction of autumn. Without warning. As usual.

As I enter the autumn of my life, I realize how much faster time seems to clip by. Time does not stop or even slow for good intentions. So this post is meant to spur all of us on to tackle those plans and dreams still on our bucket lists.

Actually, I don’t have a bucket list. Not being much of a risk-taker, I prefer to avoid flirting with intense discomfort, terror, injury or death. Rather, I make a comprehensive list of things I wish to accomplish in the areas of my interest and expertise. Sure, some of the items on the list force me to stretch and grow, but they are reasonable and attainable. I don’t want to hang-glide (Karen and Katherine can do that) or go deep sea diving (like Deanna and Paul) or float down the Amazon River (Dennis and Liana sent pictures). I’ll read about those experiences and marvel at the photos, thank you very much.

If you are a risk-taker, intent on living life on the edge, then go for it and more power to you, but whatever you want to do, plan for it now, because we don’t even know which season of life we’ll end with.

Some areas into which I plan to push myself, in no particular order, are:

— to learn more about social media and use it for promotional purposes

— to learn more about self-publishing and try it

— to write more books and articles for publication in many forms

— to take time for my family and friends

— to maintain good health, insofar as I am able

The days grow short, as demonstrated by the angst of August. Time to revisit our game plans, review and tweak the steps to our goals, research details and questions. Psalm 103:15-16 (NIV) says, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more…”

Seems to me we’d better make the most of the time we’ve been given. All the best to you as you do so.

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Slogging

I slog.

I thought I had coined the word, but apparently Miriam Webster got there first. The definition, however, fits precisely: “to plod heavily.” Yes, I am a slogger.

Why do I continue to plod heavily every morning? Firstly, I believe any kind of physical exercise has more health benefits than, say, sitting in an armchair drinking coffee to wake up. To sit at my computer day after day without exercise, to deny myself the healing elements of fresh air and sunshine, to ignore the need for the discipline to drive myself beyond my perceived limits—these things are not positive. I believe exercise can be a preventative to seizing up entirely or consuming inordinate amounts of medication for an increasing variety of aches and pains. To quote some wise soul, “It ain’t pretty, but it works.”

Secondly, I am blessed to live in the country, so I’m free to slog at my pleasure without offending unsuspecting passersby. Besides the aforementioned reasons for slogging, motivation for my pathetic presentation includes age, asthma and inherited lack of athletic agility. I think slogging can slow the unalterable effects of aging, exercise asthmatic lungs and keep my body limber, if not agile.

So it is in many areas of our lives. I continue to pray, in spite of the fact that my efforts are often lame and crippled. “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day,” no matter how pathetic my efforts seem.

I continue to sing, although some unknown malady causes my vocal cords to slog out of tune at times without warning.

I continue to write in asthmatic attempts to communicate my thoughts to readers. I don’t wish my gifts, however limited, to be wasted because they are not perfect. “Mistakes are made, I’ll not deny, but only made by those who try.” I can’t tell you who said that, but the quote is easy to remember and worth repeating.

Advice for the day: keep slogging. It’s better than seizing up, and you never know how many people you might encourage, entertain or inspire.

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