Making The Connection

Do you remember those childhood days of drawing from number to number, in order, connecting the dots, so a drawing appears? I remember them, but I don’t remember enjoying them after doing a few. It seemed like it was a no-brainer, almost like Paint By Number. Again, I remember painting a few, but they became drudgery. You were always finishing a pattern of someone else’s design.

Yet, isn’t this how most of us do life?

Assembling a model car, airplane, or ship. Whether Lego blocks, or one of those kits where you paint, snap together, or glue – you are always creating something of someone else’s design. Yep. Even sewing from a pattern, cooking from a recipe, or driving a route. You are doing something predesigned and laid out for you to complete.

Add to that the idea of solving a problem is often called “Connecting the dots…” Voila! Puzzle solved. Don’t get me talking about puzzles! That’s something I enjoy doing by myself and not in groupthink.

Learning strategy games like tic-tac-toe, checkers, backgammon, or chess, there’s a process to making good connections to success. Second-guessing your opponent to help them move the way you want them to move, or go the opposite direction.

Let me make a connection for you. Yesterday was my day off. It’s a self-enforced day of doing what I want, how I want, and not worrying about attempting to finish anything. With 9 fur babies, 3 grown dogs, and 8 chickens… Oh well, no matter what I want to do, I have to handle their needs. The pups are barking, even as I write and think through this thought. Yes. I started writing on Monday. It’s my day off. It’s what I want to do!

What do I do now?

Taking A Break

So, I’m taking a break to feed them and let them loose in the yard to work off their energy level! I’ll be back…

I’m back!

With everything we do, we all need to take a break. Our minds, eyes, ears, muscles, bones, and spirits need a break from the rat race of whatever we’ve been focused on. Even if you are enjoying the task, you can expend only so much energy before you feel the need to take some R&R. Wait, I wrote about that recently! [Click Here]

I believe Jesus knew how to take a break from his busy schedule.

And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus,
and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
And he said unto them,
Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:
for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
(Mark 6:30-32 KJV)

The Gospels find Jesus stepping aside to handle his personal rest needs. Praying. Sleeping in the boat while the disciples faced a storm. Coming away from others even if we don’t understand how they took leisure time.

In our world, we often work hard during the week, then play hard on the weekend, and it’s a wonder that we continually feel tired.

Vacation, for us, is not about going somewhere and being constantly busy.

It’s about going somewhere and having nothing planned. R&R on a grand scale! Reading. Sleeping. Ignoring the phone and computer. Doing what we need to recharge our batteries. Recover. Rest. Me Time!