POV: You order and subsequently return 10 shirts to Amazon because nothing “looks right.” It is definitely, completely, unrelated to the “eat more, move less” program you’ve been on the past year or so. Also, you may or may not have arthritis in your right knee because hey, nothing says “Welcome to your upper forties!” quite like recurring joint pain.

In other news, I excitedly ordered and set up hanging bird feeder and bath poles in the my garden. I’ve had exactly zero customers so far. After perusing the internet, I discovered I most likely had the whole operation a little too close to the house, so this morning I moved it back towards the tree line.

The mornings have warmed up enough to sit on the screened in porch. Actually, it’s been blazing hot here the past few days so early morning is about the only time you won’t spontaneously combust. I pray through my prayer list and currently I am working through (and really enjoying) Francis Chan’s BASIC series. Full disclosure, I frequently lose focus and check to see if anything on my Amazon list has gone on sale or click over to the Merlin app to make sure I don’t miss any rare birds in the area). Cringe.

I’m admittedly a little embarrassed, but honestly am also totally embracing what I call my “grandma hobbies”. These are the things I do to add peace to otherwise busy days, which are often filled with cooking and cleaning and church and small group and marriage and parenting and family and friends and VidAngel.

Being surrounded by animals and birds and plants and trees and fresh air is where it’s at, especially when I’m balancing the times I’m surrounded by the things that tend to drain me, like Short Pump traffic (if you know, you know).

Seriously though, it tends to feel like we are constantly surrounded. Here in the suburbs, I am surrounded by people and homes and all the hustle and bustle and leaf blowers and cars driving by: back and forth, back and forth (you know who you are, Stephanie).

It can seem we, too, are surrounded by other people’s opinions, especially online but also in our real life relationships. Loud opinions. Angry opinions. Opinions unbothered by the existence of reality. There is some wonderful, beautiful content online but it’s sandwiched in between so much discouragement and divisiveness. It’s like they say in the Bible, “Can anything good come from Facebook?” Or Nazareth. Same difference.

Most of us are also surrounded by expectations: at school, at work, and at home. Man, I’m starting to feel stressed by this list and I haven’t had a job in seven years. There is so much pressure to do it all: be an awesome wife, mom, employee, daughter, friend, volunteer, leader, helper, teacher, housekeeper, cook, personal shopper, gym rat..the list is endless.

It is good to be productive. It is beautiful to work hard and show up for our lives and for the people around us. We are not called to be lazy or avoid hard things. We will most likely always have responsibilities and problems and kids practicing for fourth grade recorder concerts and a mouse in my car? and Amazon returns.

I love that while we can’t (and probably shouldn’t) opt out the demands of day to day operations, we can intentionally make sure we are also prioritizing things that bring us life.

For me, it’s peaceful mornings with God, Tabasco, Alex, and Murphy and currently zero birds on the porch or by the fireplace, depending on the season. It’s the beauty of faithful friendship founded on shared belief and values. It’s the privilege of making home a place of refuge and welcome. Sometimes it’s a game of SkipBo and a bourbon with coconut water because Diet Coke keeps me up at night (also on the porch, weather permitting). It’s a walk through the neighborhood (more like a crawl if I take Murphy, the hundred year old Schnerrier), or a cup of coffee with a neighbor. It’s serving someone else and then feeling okay about taking an hour to read a good book. It’s in the confidence I have knowing I’m surrounded by the unfailing love, forgiveness, protection, and provision of God himself.

Whatever responsibilities surround you day to day, don’t forget to enjoy the beauty God has surrounded you with. Maybe it’s in your backyard or in a day trip to the beach. Or the mountains. It could be making time to enjoy a couple hours with a friend. Maybe you actually like the gym. Spend fifty dollars on bird stuff no one uses. Stop scrolling (unless you’re the one person who gets off social media feeling better about your life). Bake some bread. Listen to a helpful podcast. Take a bubble bath. Take a nap. Read a mediocre but grudgingly hilarious blog post. Make the time.

This week has been the first slow week for me in quite awhile. We’ve had soccer every Saturday for two months and about 64 birthday celebrations and Easter and Mother’s Day and for someone that gets worn out by too many obligations (even fun ones), having built in de-stressors has been essential.

Grandma hobbies. Or normal ones. Either way.

Highly recommend.

Grangela (which will totally be my gma name someday)

By opinions

By Gods love and protection

By Gods people