My thoughts lately are like eggs, scrambled some days; over easy others; fried sometimes! There has been a lot going on in my mind these past couple of weeks, as I find the days going by too quickly and I can't get everything done that I want to, and yet too slowly as we anticipate Doug's last day of work and his being home. In general, I am not an overthinker; I don't analyze a situation to its death before making a decision and then second-guess myself and look back over all the "could haves". But when making a decision as huge as the one to have Doug leave his job, you can bet that my mind has gone over all the possibilties! However, I feel settled about our decision, and at peace that it was the right one for our family. And if there was any doubt, it disappeared immediately when Doug's mom called a few days ago and asked, "You guys have any plans the weekend of July 13th?" and I was able to say "NO!! Doug ISN'T working!!" It was very freeing! Just like that, we were able to plan a little camping trip in Lincoln City that weekend, which also happens to be Joel's 3rd birthday weekend, and we get to see some of Doug's out-of-town family that aren't able to be together very often. After 16 years of working weekends, Doug felt so awesome being able to just throw some plans together like that and not having to miss out on family time because of working.
I love that knowing there will be more evenings and weekends available to him, more time in general, Doug has already reached out socially and has delved into learning as much as he can about AdvoCare so he can share it with others. We met another couple that we've recently re-connected with for dinner one evening last week; he had a meeting this week with one of his AdvoCare mentors who is quickly becoming a good friend; we went to Salem to visit with my lifelong girlfriend and her little family, and it was so nice watching our kids play together, seeing Doug chatting with her husband and being able to make plans for another weekend get-together without having to "check Doug's schedule"! And we purchased a ticket for Doug to attend AdvoCare's Success School this August, in Texas at Cowboy Stadium! He is going to come home from that weekend a changed man, in all good ways! I'm so excited for him. Excited for us! Excited for our family!
This week will be a scrambled one for sure, Doug is working opening shift (5am) with only 1 day off all week, and we have a few other things on the calendar, but we're going to get though it one day at a time, and each day that we go to sleep puts us one day closer to realizing a dream...having Doug NOT have that crazy retail work schedule any longer!!
We believe in dreaming, and in working towards making those dreams a reality. We took hold of a dream and turned it into a reality, and it isn't going to be easy; but life isn't supposed to be easy, and sometimes the things that are the healthiest for our minds and bodies are actually the most difficult. It's much easier to swing by the drive-thru to grab a meal, or to buy all pre-made packaged foods at the grocery store, or to sit on the couch and watch TV rather than take a walk or work out; I know this because I took that easy way for a long time, making excuses as to why it was okay, making excuses as to why Doug had to tough it out in his job because how could we possibly make ends meet otherwise, and what about health insurance, and this-that-and-ten thousand other things?! But at the end of each day, taking the easy approach did not make me healthy, happy, or content. I'm still struggling with this, as it's so much easier to just eat whatever I want and not exercise, and use the excuse of my digestive woes to justify it. It's much easier to not budget, to not plan what I'm spending on groceries, to just buy now and figure it out later. It's easier for me to work part-time, making my hours work within our family's schedule. Easy, easy, easy...but NOT healthy and NOT teaching my kids the value of working towards a goal, of making a dream a reality, of appreciating that meal in a restaurant because it's a treat instead of a weekly normal.
Easy is done for this girl, it's out the window, I'm taking the difficult road...God is calling me to get out of my comfort zone, to put clean and healthy foods into my body, to work consistent hours for the sanity of my co-workers and my family, to dust off the walking shoes and use them often, and most importantly...to promote positivity in a negative, pessimistic world; to be a beacon of hope and light for others; to utilize the talents He has given me in the best ways to touch as many lives as possible.
I do believe I'll take my eggs hard-boiled today, after all that takes the most time and patience to prepare.
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