Today I have the opportunity to extend grace to someone… ME! I’ve decided that it is much easier to extend grace to others than to myself. When expectations are not met, extending grace can be a little more difficult. When I started my “I Can Do Anything For 28 Days” campaign, I had quite a lofty list of things I was going to do… or not do. As the time to launch my campaign drew near, I began to whittle that list down to a more reasonable size. Today, I am wondering what the definition of reasonable is. What sounds reasonable and attainable before you start something changes as you get into the project. As the project nears the end, that vision of reasonable changes even more! I have revised my thinking several times and tried not to let it defeat me before I even start! Has this ever happened to you? (Oh, by the way… FB free for 18 days! LONGEST 28 days of my life!)
One of my goals this month was to revive my blog and post a picture every day, as well as write as much a possible. For 16 days, I have met that self-imposed expectation. Sixteen days! I’m not sure I’ve ever done anything that many days in a row! Then life happened, and after a near 12-hour day, I did not have it in me to write or take a picture. My winning streak came to an abrupt halt! Now, normally in my life, when a good thing is interrupted, it begins to fade away. The forward momentum is swept away with good intentions. Has this ever happened to you? Diets…gym membership… just to name a few!
When I woke up this morning and remembered that I had not posted anything yesterday, my heart sank. I had not met the expectation I had set for myself… and it was an easy, fun one! My first thought was to throw the whole kit-n-kabootle away and hit FB! I could pack up my computer and journal, and head to Rocket Bakery to find a nice quiet corner and lose myself in others’ lives… leaving mine behind in a pile of unmet expectations. Oh, the pile that it sits upon! It’s much like a compost pile. The question is whether or not I will use that compost to enrich my life. Can unmet expectations be used for good in our lives, or do they break us down into defeat? We all have them… some larger and more powerful than others. My little 28-Day challenge expectations are chump change compared to some others in my life that have not been met. Large or small, it’s how I choose to let them influence my life that matters. Expectations can drive us or run us over. What expectations do you have resting upon your shoulders today? Are they self-imposed expectations? Are they expectations given to you by others? Are they expectations that you have put on others?
So, today, I am back on my horse and ready to ride! Today, I will not open up FB. Today, I will sprinkle grace over myself and see this as a chance to re-evaluate the expectations that I’ve imposed upon myself. Are they reasonable? Will life end if they are not met? Thank goodness tomorrow is a new day… full of grace and new mercies the moment my feet hit the floor! Hmmm… it’s still early… maybe I need to reconsider that for today!
Thoughts and Reflections on Life 