never arriving - or - enjoying the journey for what it is

Have you ever noticed that life is a process? And yet, we are continually working for some end that we think we'll get or achieve. We fix up the house so it's all nice, but there's always more to be done. We take a class to learn how to do our job better, but there's always new areas to refine and develop. We read books, and whether we get them finished or not, there are others waiting to be read (not all the books I was reading last time I wrote are done, there have been others read since then, and 4 textbooks to read added to that list...)

I think I have a tendancy to get uptight about never getting it all done. I feel frazzled even when I have a few hours to work on stuff, because then I have to prioritize - is it more important to finish painting the window trim or work on my assignment? Should I work on the budget or cleaning out the clutter in the office? Then I have to coach myself - none of it is infinitely important. What is important is that I do well whatever I choose to do. If I can be balanced, it will all get worked on in time. None of it will ever get finished, but it is all character building - if I am faithful with the little things and don't neglect them completely, then I will be responsible when it comes to the big things. And I will realize that the big things are not likely to have a tidy end point either.

It's exciting when you can sit back and have a big picture perspective on things. To think not of the chores around the house, but of how successfully I have maintained a home where love is evident and our doors are open. To not think of the daily tasks at work, but the larger goals that direct what I do, and whether they are being accomplished; whether people's lives are changing and being enriched. And then it's a little bit easier to do the daily stuff that never gets finished, because I know that whatever I do, and however much I get accomplished now does make a difference in the long run.

So I go to do another task and read another book, knowing that through it I will be developed, and the world around me better somehow.