Inkwells & Images

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Writing

A Season of Rest: Action Plan

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The title seems contradictory, but I did indeed create an action plan for this season of rest.

I want this time to be intentionally restful, and not just restful because of a lack of things to do. In fact, I think I would get bored then, which is not restful. Besides, this resting time is a chance for Scott and I to create some new (better) habits and for me to do some of the things I love doing but always put off because of what Urgently Needs to be Taken Care of Right Now.

Prince Edward Island South Shore Inkwells Images Abbigail Kriebs copy

One of the most restful, recharging weeks we ever spent was on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

I have some goals for this resting period:

  • I need to cultivate healthy habits: This includes drinking enough water, exercising regularly, and eating well. I also want to be able to check “get enough sleep” and “floss consistently” off my list of Things I Should Be Doing But Don’t Yet.
  • I need to cultivate healthy spiritual habits: I need to prioritize carving out space for my own quiet time on a daily basis. We have been so caught up in ministry for so many years, that this has been something that has fallen by the wayside far too often when the list gets long with “to-dos.” My own soul needs fed before I can help feed the souls of others.
  • I need to blog regularly: I know that blogging is not something that can necessarily be done half-heartedly. I need to set aside some time to plan out posts in advance, and then actually execute on those plans. For me, I think this looks like posting a legitimate post on Tuesdays and a book review or photo blog on Thursdays.
  • I need to write: I have a half-finished novel taking up space on my hard drive, and some meaty concepts for a few others floating around in Evernote. Writing a novel has always been my dream, ever since I made my first bucket list as a 12-year-old before bucket lists were even a thing. Writing a novel is something I need to do for me, or I am always, always going to regret it.
  • I need to spend more quality time with Scott: We’ve been married for over eight years now and still haven’t figured this one out. We’ve always said “yes” to everyone else first, and then tried to squeeze in time together in the cracks. We usually only realize that we have a free Friday night when Friday night arrives, and then we are too tired to even think about leaving the house again. We are looking to change that, to spend time together dreaming and praying and eating real food intentionally, and not just when it is convenient.

I’m still figuring out what all this looks like and how to balance even these five things with a full-time job and some freelance projects. I’m taking an extra day off for Labor Day this year to help kick off a season of rest well, and I’m planning to use some of that time to create what I hope will be an ideal schedule each work day and each weekend day, knowing that it is “ideal” and not set in stone.

What about you? Have any habit-building tips for me? I’d love to hear what has helped you build and sustain a tough habit for a long period of time.

Make Waves: The Wisdom To Do It Well

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I’ve stirred some puddles in life. Not a lot, but a few.

I’ve also let a lot of them lie still, un-muddled by my step, my voice.

For most of my life, I perfected my dive: entering the water with the tiniest splash, unwilling to disrupt a still surface, even if the water had grown stale and needed stirring.

I dreamed of a boat with a big sail, fully raised and racing out of the bay. But most of the time, I have been content with a second-hand canoe – sitting low in the water, gliding along unnoticed. Choosing the path of least resistance, dependent upon a partner, a set of circumstances, to keep me on a straight and forward path.

I’ve pacified and stood aside for years as a relationship hurt me, choosing to internalize rather than fight.

And then one day, I did.

That caused a lot of waves, some hit shore hard. But in the end, it was a choice. Waves that I knew would come, consequences I knew would arrive. And I chose to do it anyway.

Other times, I’ve searched for the nearest life boat to get out of the way. Closed my eyes to the waves buffeting me to and fro. Putting on a set of headphones to avoid the noisy lap of their break against my ankles. Chosen not to see the murk around me, a murk that I could change with just a little splash.

And other times still, I have shoved my boat out to water, with intent and anger and right on my side.

Sometimes, it was smooth sailing, with other boats giving way to my path. More often, my boat would lose a sail, or even capsize. I would admit defeat, retreat. Pull down what was left of my once-billowing arsenal of self-confidence and stay in harbor as I rebuilt.

Sometimes, the hardest part about making waves is to not make them, to not disturb the surface. To know when you must move on to a bigger lake. Or even a smaller, different one.

I’m learning, slowly, what waves to make, and what surfaces to let lie. To choose the most important puddles to jump into, to save energy for the best and not just the good.

There are only so many waves one person can ride. Maybe the best wave us the one that inspires others to make their own.

This essay was inspired by the “Make Waves” essay contest, hosted by Jenn at Near Far Montana. Click here to read how Jenn is making waves, and to check out the other wave-making entries.

The Stories of Others: Links From All Over

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I’m traveling for the day job, spending a couple of days at a trade show in Atlanta, GA. In light of this, and in acknowledgement of my new-found sense of community, I’m sharing with you some writings from around the web that have fascinated me, spoke to my soul, or just made me stop and think.

Adam S McHugh Dreams Quote Wine

If you are a dreamer:

  • Adam S. McHugh, author of Introverts in the Church, has been writing this last year about transition as he moves from one field to another: from ministry to wine-making. With amazing honesty, he wrote last week about what it is like to try again where you once failed. Read his post Once More into the Breach for more about dreams that change.
  • I’m often deciding how best to spend my time: writing content, or jimmying with my email subscription service? Megan Dougherty at Paying for Life helped me sort it out a bit better with a post that starts with a rainbow loom bracelet: “Know what you can do well – and either learn the rest, or get someone to help you do it.”

 If you are a writer:

  • What do you do when you go back and read 50,000 words of a novel that need to be redone? If you are me, you panic first and then serendipitously stumble upon a post from Mary Carroll Moore about revision and the growth your writing goes through.
  • This article from buffer reaffirmed for me that getting up at 5:30 AM everyday to write is worth it.

If you are a thinker:

  • What I wish I would have articulated about the #banbossy movement, but couldn’t find the words. Anna at Girl, Defined takes on the movement, with eloquence and grace.
  • Do you believe in such a thing as insignificant choices? Nate Canada doesn’t, and I might not either after reading this post.

Did any of these articles strike a chord with you? Do you have something else I should read? Chime in below!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend stuff that is good! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”