It’s Quit Something Thursday. Have you heard about this?
It was inspired a few years ago by NY Times best-selling author Bob Goff, who says he makes a point of quitting something every Thursday:
He looks at his life and chooses something to let go of, something to take off his overcrowded to do list. He gives himself permission to quit – for the sake of his physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Kind of like permission not to have to clean your plate.
It feels wrong somehow, but it’s actually better for you than forcing yourself to finish what you don’t want or need or have room for. Because that never helped anyone.
I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve come to a decision about what to quit on my first Quit Something Thursday:
Today, I quit waiting for my life to get back to normal or to “get caught up” to do the things that are most important to me.
I am finally ready – I think – to accept that it is never going to happen. There is never going to be a good time to “start fresh” or get into a new routine.
My life is always going to be messy and complicated. Sometimes in a good way – a very good way. Sometimes in a hard way – a very hard way. Usually a lot of both, or in a place somewhere in between.
In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis said:
All we have is this day, today…
Over the years I’ve really tried to learn to be “led by the Spirit” – I’ve worked hard to be flexible with my plans, hold them lightly, keep my eyes open for divine appointments. I know something of how to live in the moment, in terms of celebrating moments and experiencing them.
I work hard at a million different things. And I do get some of them accomplished. But it’s often not the most important things. The things that are my true passion or calling, my God-given priorities.
And remarkably, I hardly ever “feel the Spirit leading me” to exercise or eat right — though these, too, are important things. I do feel led to have my quiet time, and I will get to it, right after I finish this or that…
Yeah…
Many days, it just doesn’t happen. Because I’ve got too much stuff to get through first.
I just need to get caught up. I just need to cross this off my list. I just need to get to the end of this week, this season, when things will calm down a bit… when I get home from this trip … when I get healthy again … when I just have some time to …
But one day turns into another and another and the time never comes. And I’m mindful that:
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~ Annie Dillard
So today I quit waiting for a better time, a fresh day, a moment when I’m all caught up.
I’m looking at the things that are really important to me – those personal priorities – that it never seems to be a convenient time for, the constants that feel like they’ll always be there (so I can get around to them whenever). The ones I always let slip off my list because they’re so very important I want to tackle them tomorrow when I’m fresh.
And whatever it takes, I’m going to get them done today.
(One of them, I just did.)
