Stop and Smell the Roses

One of my all time favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:6-7. The Message Bible puts it like this: Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. I recite this at least daily. I meditate on it because I'm not a very good waiter. I get antsy and over anxious. I begin to worry about my biological clock...tick tick ticking loudly in my ear. With each passing birthday I think about all the wasted eggs. It seems like more and more of my friends are on the other side of the broom.

Sometimes I feel like the last person waiting to be picked to a team...when is it going to be my turn God? For the longest time I sat still, pseudo-waiting, pretending to be satisfied. Of course, that didn't work. I knew I had to do something. (Maybe go out and clunk a man on the head with my club, drag him back to my cave? Do I join an online dating service? *thinks about it* nah). Instead, I did what I always did when I started to feel sorry for myself, I went to the Word, to my favorite apostle, Paul's writings.

As I read and learned, I realized that life is not passing me by; I'm not missing out on anything. In fact, this time is now the best time of my life. So why not enjoy it? When my time does come, I don't want any regrets about what I should have done. I began to slow down and really appreciate my singleness. Everyday I ask myself, "What can I do today that I won't be able to do once the husband and the children come?" Well let's see: go skydiving...take tango lessons...buy season tickets for my favorite sports team...take a trip...spend a day shopping...spend a day at the spa (my favorite)...read a book from cover to cover...WRITE a book.

So here's my advice, slow down and enjoy your life. Do what recovering addicts do and take it one day at a time. Try something new and enjoy where you are.