The Long and the Short of It

This evening Dean asked what we were doing tomorrow. Which is a frequent question of his all during the day, wanting to know what's next on our "busy" agenda. There's usually not much to report, outside doctor's appointments, weekly trips to the library, and home health visits a few times a week.

Tonight though I went beyond my typical answer of "nothing", and changed it to this: "Oh, I take that back, honey. I'm opening curtains, turning off lights, uncovering the bird cage, changing the 'day of the week' display, letting the dog out (multiple times), filling a pill box, taking a shower, doing dishes (possibly twice), washing and folding two loads of clothes, stirring Willy-Nilly (my starter for breadbaking), making some phone calls, paying some bills, giving the dog a bath, putting your shoes and socks on, taking you to the library, cooking supper, taking out some trash, working on a blog, and riding my recumbent bike. And what do you think you'll be doing, dear?"

"Well," he thought ponderously, "I'll be getting in my morning nap most of the morning. Eating. And then I'll be harassing you the rest of the day." He seemed content with his brief, but accurate, list.

And I'm sure God is content with our lists too. The long and the short ones. If we are doing all we can do, God doesn't complain. And neither should I.

Doing "his thing" in the morning

Chore or Ritual

Our topic for discussion tonight at our brain injury support group was sleep. It seems that we all have different sleep habits and strategies for getting a good night's sleep. Sleeping well has a positive impact on our overall physical and mental health, and is especially needed for brain injury survivors and their caregivers. Put simply, it just makes you feel good.

One thing we talked about was what you do just prior to sleeping. My bedtime chore, since I've been on oxygen, consists of setting up my Bi-PAP machine. Filling the humidifier with distilled water, attaching the hose and oxygen tubing, turning on the oxygen concentrator, putting on the face mask, and finally turning the machine on. All that activity was not conducive to sleep, believe me. And I hated it.

But then last year, a nurse introduced me to a new face mask with a design that allowed me to wear my glasses, rather clumsily, so I could read myself to sleep with the mask and machine already on. For five years, I had missed falling asleep reading a book. Now I don't mind the Bi-PAP setup nearly as much. Instead of a chore, it's just my regular bedtime ritual or routine, a positive strategy to getting a good night's sleep.

It's amazing how the same activity can be perceived in a totally different way, simply by my attitude about it. God is the same way. Some think that anything to do with religion and God is not to be desired. That serving God, attending church, witnessing to our friends and neighbors, or having a personal devotional life are hated chores. But when seen through the lens of love for God, the same things are beloved activities that we cherish and adore.

Knowing and loving God is just like a good night's sleep. It just makes you feel good. Your attitude is what counts. Cultivate a loving one.