This past week has been full of cleaning, cooking, and hosting here at my house. It’s been our custom for almost-fifteen years of marriage to host Thanksgiving for both sets of parents.1 I love it. I used this turkey recipe last year and this year and I’ll probably never veer from it. I’m not a huge fan of turkey but this one is delicious and easy and it’s always fun to cook a beautiful turkey. It’s been a good week. I hope yours has been the best week you could have as well.
I’ve squeezed quite a bit of homework into spare hours and late evenings. Since Fuller runs on a quarter system, there’s no time for extra time off. Instead, professors are usually nice enough to move due dates from Thursday to Saturday.2 I started writing this on Saturday night after sweating through a Hebrew quiz.
I alluded to this on the blog but I’m in the process of eliminating some of my work. I have a tendency to run at max capacity, but my ability to do that has lessened. I’ve grown to appreciate rest and sabbath and a little more sleep. My kids seem to demand more of my time and energy than any other time. I’m not sure about the accuracy of that: maybe not, maybe so. They just need a lot from me, from us as parents, and I have to save that space for them. I signed a job offer for a position at church just today.
(Just imagine yourself here. My dog would be so happy to see you.)
One of the changes I’m making is in my Substack schedule. I’ve posted twice a week since I shifted to Substack in July and I have loved it. But in an effort to navigate my whole life and still write quality pieces, I’m going to slow down and only publish four pieces of month.3 Two of them will be for all subscribers and two of them will be for paid subscribers. It’s my goal for these posts to be beneficial, and maybe a little like we’re sitting on my couch chatting, but also not stress out my week making time for writing and editing.
This is permission for you and me. Life ebbs and flows. Our demands change. Our capacity changes. As a person with a lot of ideas, I always have things I’d like to do but can’t find time to do. I’m learning that’s ok. I can be picky. I can say no. Saying no doesn’t even mean never; it just means not now. We can change what we’re doing. (Say it with me.)
As we continue through the holiday season, we can say no. We can adjust for a while. We can shift. Even with making this change, I’ve shifted. I was planning to start in the new year, after a short break for Christmas. I have a content calendar for the rest of the year that I’m excited about. But I made a list this afternoon of the work I have left for a week of content for two classes, a final project, and a Hebrew final. Along with that work, I have a sermon to finish and practice because I’m preaching both morning services at my church on December 11th. I start my new job next Monday. It’s time to make the shift now.
I want to go at a sustainable pace. I want to honor my humanity. I want my family to feel cared for and loved. I want to have a rich interior life. I want to do excellent work. That means I need to be more picky about my commitments. Maybe you do as well? Or maybe you’re already great this and you should tell me what has worked for you in the comments.
Our fifteenth anniversary is next month!
This is probably because Fuller has a lot of international students as well.
At least planned pieces. Other things might pop up!
Congratulations on the new job! 🥳🥳🥳
Love this - yes yes yes!
I'd love to learn what your church is like. Have you written about that anywhere?