Things I've Learned from NPR Lately

Ok, by "lately" I mean...two months ago...but, that's how we roll.  I have mentioned before that I listen to NPR a lot in the car.  This is why I'm notoriously behind the times with knowing what songs are "hip" now.  I do, however, get to learn a lot from the folks over at public radio.  (Who, by the way, have such ecclectic names! I am always wondering if having an interesting name is part of the hiring requirements over there, or if people change their name when they become NPR reporters.)  An-e-ways.

Two separate stories struck me. Firstly was an interview with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist.

One of the things Mr. Tyson spoke about was his dislike with people calling him, and other very intelligent people, "gifted".  He said, no, he had to work very hard to get to where he is now.  I think that this is very important to remember.  We do have God-given talents and propensities, but there is still actual work involved in our success.  All too often we look at others' achievements and discount them because "that's their gift".  Similarly, we decide that we "can't" do something or another because we just aren't gifted in that area, or we don't have the personality for it.  While it is true that certain tasks are more difficult for some people than others, it does not give us a free pass on life.  Whether we are strong or weak in a particular area of our lives, there is work required.

The second piece that got me thinking was some remarks from correspondent Miles O'Brien, who recently had a partial arm amputation due to acute compartment syndrome after an incident with a heavy case falling on his arm.

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O'Brien was actually on NPR to report his story on the Fukushima nuclear disaster, but he stayed on at the end of the piece to speak with the NPR host about his injury.  O'Brien was marvelously upbeat about his life moving forward, and said something to the effect of  "Life is a series of challenges, some that we chose, and some that are sent to us..." 

What hit me most about his words at the time was the fact that there are challenges that we chose.  Think about it.  There is so much in life that we don't chose--shouldn't we be more choosy about what we do chose?

This ties in with something I learned from watching the first episode of Call the Midwife (...it's on PBS, it can go w/ stuff from NPR!) with Steven the other day. (Yeah, he bought it for me, and watched it with me.  I like him.).  One of the midwives says something like, "Sometimes we just have to deal with what the Lord sends."

A friend of mine says that I am like Nurse Lee. I'll take it! ;)
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Sometimes the situations we are handed are less than (our) ideal.  A lot of times, actually.  So, we work to make our strengths stronger and our weaknesses smaller, we pick our battles, and we roll with the punches.  Why? 

Because life. Life is work.  Life is joy.  Life is beautiful. 

In its Time

The nitty-gritty tedium of our every-day lives can be, well, tedious. Each morning we are greeted with what is often the same exact 'To Do' list as the day before. The laundry and dishes are never done. The children have to be feed and cleaned and prevented from causing each other bodily harm several times a day (that last one nearly constantly).

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Our work in and outside of the home is repetitive. Day to day, over and over, we keep on doing what we have kept on doing. It is easy to get bogged down in this, to feel discouraged, bored or fed up with life as we know it. But we also know that this is not how we are supposed to live: 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

I have read several things recently that deal with this problem in our lives. I was first encouraged by a short essay sent along by a dear friend. In, 'The Duty of the Moment', Catherine Doherty says:

Or your duty of the moment may be to scrub your floors. Do you scrub your floors well? With great love for God? If not, do so. If you see to it that your house is well-swept, your food is on the table, and there is peace during meals, then there is a slow order that is established, and the immense tranquility of God's order falls upon you and your family, all of you together.

Your doing the duty of the moment, your living the nitty-gritty, daily routine of ordinary life, can uncover the face of Christ in the marketplace. Christ can come into the place where you work or play or eat. He will come into your home or into a restaurant. He will come into a school or a company cafeteria or a subway or wherever.

So this is what I mean. You, as a Christian, as a follower of Christ, do your duty of the moment. Whatever your duty is, you do it with great love. And as you do, the image of Christ, the icon of Christ, will be shown to people wherever you are — in your home, in your place of work outside the home, in your school, in the neighborhood where you live, in your church, in the grocery store, wherever you happen to be.

I have found that focusing my mind on that line, the duty of the moment, has brought more peace to my days and more clarity to my priorities. Sometimes the duty of the moment is finishing the dishes during nap-time. Sometimes the duty is resting so that you don't go crazy on your family later in the day ;).

 Next was an excerpt from a blog I read sometimes called 3 Things for Mom. Each day is a different guest posting a Truth, Tip & Find for moms. This particular entry was by Catherine Newman, who writes for Real Simple magazine. Here's what she says:

If you wait to get past the hard parts, the busy parts, the stressful parts, your whole life will pass and you’ll have just been waiting the whole time...Remind yourself that this is your actual life, your time with this person, a moment to experience and then move on from...

I am *way* guilty of the hurrying life along problem. I just want to get through this little time, and then it'll be nap time for boyos, or dinner time, bedtime...give me teenage years now and I'll give you the squirmy-mind-numbing-hair-pulling-toddler-hood! [Disclaimer: I get it. I don't want those years yet, really, but...you know...in the moments I do...]. But what Catherine points out is exactly right. The problems of yesterday aren't any easier than the problems of tomorrow will be. I have today, this is my actual life. Each moment, each nerve-wracking moment, each sweet and joyful moment, is mine for today. 

We "grown-ups" get lost in the monotony. We get fed up with the same-old trudgery and lose sight of what is actually happening. There are probably 5,000 million quotes about living for today and living in the moment and time flying by, so I will spare you all that. Consider instead what Chesterton has to say:

Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical ENCORE. Heaven may ENCORE the bird who laid an egg.  

(G.K. Chesterton, in Orthodoxy - source)

"...in spirit fierce and free"

Look around. "The Heavens are telling the Glory of God!" ...and they do it in beautiful repetition. The trees are ever fading in and out of each season, reminding us anew of Christ's Life, Death & Resurrection. Spiders aren't finding new ways to spin their webs; bees are making honey bit by little bit just as they have done for year upon year upon year. And yet all of blessed Creation is reflecting the glory and magnitude of the Lord whose "mercies are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-24)

Let us not grow weary. Let us delight in our days, take up the duties of our moments and recognize that this is our actual life. 

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not  to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, bIn ut the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36)

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{Favorite Quick Takes}

Joining Hallie for Favorites and Jen for Quick Takes

(because that's how we roll in the world of slacker-bloggers!)

Basically just what's on my mind and what I like this week. With pictures.;)

1. The Radical Life
I keep on talking about this Radical Life guy:

Matthew Warner

I like his stuff. This week's post is more good stuff: 12 Most Important Metrics for Your Child's (and Your) Education.


2. Freeset Fundraiser
You probably heard about the UPS plane crash last week. We should definitely pray for the families of the two pilots who lost their lives in the crash. There is another way to help the victims of the event. Freeset is a fair-trade company that employs women who were trapped in the human trafficking industry in Calcutta. They pay their employees about 3x what they would otherwise make. They make organic cotton T-shirts and jute bags.

They make some pretty bags, y'all.

The UPS plane was carrying about $150,000 of their merchandise, representing 3 months of work by their employees. You can go here to donate to Freeset to help them cover their losses. In a truly lovely exchange of events, Freeset is also making a memorial T-shirt, the profits of which go 100% to the UPS pilot's families. (Thanks to Melanie @ the BigMama blog for sending me towards all of this).


3. Mom-couragement
I am always finding some good encouragements for moms. Here's a thought from a new source, Incourage. In a post entitled "10 Ways to be a Happier Mom" (who wouldn't click that?) by Ann Voskamp, I find:

 Love always begins with patience, and patience is a willingness to suffer.

How is that encouraging, you ask? --how could it be encouraging to suffer? Suffering isn't exactly what you think it is, then. Did you know that the root of our word, passion, is the Latin verb patior which means to suffer?! Think about it...what greater act of love is it than to give up your own selfishness (time, talent, wealth, wants etc.) for another?  Indeed..."Greater love has no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). When we sacrifice in the small things, when we make the extra efforts for our loved ones (and our un-loved ones!), we are growing in love. --and what could be better, or more important than that?

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4. Home Pre-schooling
SO, I'm not sending Leo off to a pre-school this fall.  I never really thought that I would be...he's only *almost* 3 after all...and I kind of like having him around...BUT I am going to be doing some more planned efforts at education (other than the constant stream of wisdom in didactic moments that comes out of my mouth ;) ).

This will perfectly describe me in the not-too-distant future...

What have I done to prepare so far? I made a Pinterest board (...but you should basically just look at Sarah's if you're in my boat...she rocks.) SO, I'm obviously Super Mom, and ready for anything. 

5. Veiled Truths...This week I read another post about veiling during Mass, this time from Jenna @ Call Her Happy. Basically, she's considering veiling during Mass, which was something women did *way back when* as a way to be respectful, and humble (and less distracting to themselves and others!). I was first intrigued by the idea by Jennifer @ Conversion Diary, a while ago. Kelly @ This A'int the Lyceum also wrote a good post about veiling, with some pictures of different non-veil veil options.  I think that where I stand on the idea is that I think it's kind of neat.  BUT I think this in a "I would wear a tasteful non-doily-on-my-head veil and everyone would love it" kind of way. 

Like this. Which you can find here. "Eternity scarf"

SO...pretty much defeats the purpose, which would be one of making my time at church more prayerful (HA! with two boyos...! yea...) etc. So, for now, I think I will remain unveiled...but there are these scarves...$5 only...BUT...then there's St. Paul, reminding us women to be adorned with "good deeds" and not with pearls and braids...SO, yes, for now...just me and my unruly (read: boyo-pulled) locks. 

6. Tie a Yellow Ribbon
You may have thought that all this was over, but we still have A LOT of soldiers out there in harm's way on our behalf. It may not seem to little old you and me like they are out there for us, when they go to places like Afghanistan to help those folks, but then I hear news from Egypt, and I compare it to news from here (which is horrible enough), and I know that our soldiers are out there for us. Case in point, my wonderful brother-in-law. Lt. JDB has just been deployed with his unit of the Army National Guard to Afghanistan, and he'll be gone for almost a year (with a stint in Mississippi first which sounds just as bad). So, as you go to sleep tonight in your safe and A/C'd home, remember all of our loved ones out there, and please pray for their safety. 

Two J's on Mag's #1 list today: and neither one missing her b-day for anything.

Which brings me to...

7. MARGARET's BDAY!! 
Younger siblings aren't allowed to get older (take note, Jono!!), but older ones DO...mwahahhaha. Anyways. Today is Mags bday. Or it was when I started finishing this post...anyways...AUGUST 24th is the best and so is she. You may remember her from her famous stints as guest-blogger here and here and here. Basically click the *snark* tag on the posts, and you'll get them all. Best older sister ever. Most of the time. Prettiest and smartest and most fun. Always.

Always got my back :)

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY lovey. xoxoxo

Stuff and Nonsense

A Serious Look at our Obsession with Distractions

Why "iwastesomuchtime.com" Takes the Cake

{joining Jen for day #4 of the blogging challenge}

I've had thoughts lately that I should write a serious blog post. As in, one that is not about dinner, kids terrorizing something (usually me), farm animals terrorizing me, or other such nonsense. But...that would be no fun, would it? I'd have to *think* about things, and about other's thoughts on things, and then write about them...and nobody wants that, do they?

People want more of this from their internets:

Teeheehee.

And less *actual* stuff like this, right?

For a lot of us, for a lot of the time, stuff like  iwastesomuchtime.com  and slowrobot.com and (::gasp::) facebook.com provide for us a good measure of distraction. [duh.] But what are we trying to be distracted from? I had a friend in grade/high school once tell me that she didn't like silence because it made her have to think about things. Important things.  

The reality is, that it’s a whole lot easier to consume the fluff than it is to pay attention, buckle down and do something, or be someone.

***

In Matthew Warner's Radical Life, he is in "messy pursuit" of the true, good, and beautiful. He's got a website, a FB page, and will send you weekly emails on "radical" living if you dare (or are naive enough to think you can handle it...like this sweet momma!).

He's already gotten me to change radically the way that I use Facebook. I narrowed down friends, and un-clicked "show in newsfeed" on almost everybody on my list. (So...if I missed your awesome witty status, I’m sorry...!) I deleted the Facebook app on my iPad. What have I gained? I have to be more deliberate about my FB use. It doesn't take FOR-ever to scroll mindlessly through my newsfeed anymore. I have to seek out friends to connect with. More time. More meaningful. Hmm...

***

In this week's installment of radical living, we are encouraged to avoid the minimum requirements on life:

As I get older, I find myself becoming more and more of a minimalist. I want less stuff. I want less distractions. I want less good things in my life in order to make more room for the best things in life.  I'm becoming a big fan of that kind of minimalism.  But minimalism can also be bad. Like when it causes us to only put in the minimal amount of effort toward the most important things in our lives.  What's the least I can do and still be a good friend, husband or father? What's the least I can work and still be thought a good worker? What's the least I can give and still be considered a generous person?

True that, double true that. What's the least amount I can do, and still have time for me? Still have money for my own indulgences; still have energy for my projects?

It gets harder, folks:

It's even more insidious when we inevitably apply this attitude to our faith. What are the minimal requirements to still be considered a good Christian? What's the least I can do and still get to heaven?This minimalist approach will steal the sweetness from your life and ultimately make it boring, mediocre and unfulfilling.

And, here's the kicker: 

Rather, we should instead be asking what's the most I can do for my spouse? What's the most I can give to others? What's the most I can do for my friends and my children? That's where the bar should be set.

There are days (a lot of days) when my recent text to my sister holds true: "ennui doesn't even begin to describe it". It takes a lot to step out of ourselves, to get over our inner whiny, selfish self and do the most. It is So. Dang. Hard. But that's what we are called to do. We aren't called to be lukewarm. We aren't called to be pretty good at life. We're called to give it all, do the most, exceed the limits.

When I got this week's "Radical" email, I emailed my dear friend Marie right away. (She's the one who got me into this mess, after all!)  I complained that it was hard. Her response: "Yep. We're called to simply be the best. Sounds so easy, yet is so hard." 

Why it is that we’d rather spend our precious minutes scrolling through stuff like this:

Breakfast with Ron Swanson.

than making more time for those we love, (or at least sweeping up after them!) and the pursuits that will make us holier, I am not sure. (It's a whole lot easier, for one thing...) But what I am certain of is that when we do give up on the fluff, there is more room for the true, the good, and the beautiful. However messy it comes.