Those people are like zoo animals to me. I look on with awe and wonder and respect. But I have no desire to be them. I think they're beautiful...but also kind of weird.
I grew up in a calm household. Yes, we had lots of fun. Yes, we did lots of things. Yes, my dad is incredibly spontaneous. Yes, he once drove us 6 hours to a Twins game while my mom was working without telling her until we were AT the game. Shock effect.
Yes, we would see an ad for a concert that was playing in an hour...in a town an hour away, and just go right then. Yes, we took vacations every year. Yes, we were always running to sports games near and far. But somehow, it was still a calm life. I think it was because calm was the default. We each had a few of our scheduled activities each week, but since I was an only child, it wasn't overwhelming. Our fun mostly lived in spontaneity. I think that's why scheduling things into my calendar is sometimes sort of terrifying.
My parents both worked hard. Both were on their feet, walking and interacting with people all day. Because of that, our default home life was always laid back and relaxing.
That's how I'm now wired.
I like to have one or two scheduled activities....but any more than that and it's not fun to me anymore. Then it becomes an obligation. It makes me a little anxious. What if I'm super tired that day? What if something else comes up? (P.s. This does not apply to hangout dates, friends! It's more of the "every Tuesday night at 6 you will be here" thing.)
When I'm too busy, I realize I start to focus way too much on me. MY time. MY busy schedule. MY needs. MY life.
When I am living in calm, I have way more energy and desire to give. GIVE time. GIVE encouragement. I don't as fiercely protect my time, so I am way more flexible and open to spontaneity. My friendships are healthier. I call my mom more often.
That's also when I feel closest to Jesus. When I'm most excited to read my Bible. When I feel the most loving. When I'm the happiest. That's my sweet spot. Yes, there will always be craziness and busyness in life, and I have to continually get better at coping with it. But I believe knowing how your wired and in what type of lifestyle you thrive...is huge.
If you're wired more like me...don't let overwhelming busyness become your default. It's okay to say no sometimes. It's okay to have a boring night at home. You don't have to become a hermit, but know when you're getting stretched too thin. Pray about how much busyness you should be allowing in your life.
Then, come meet me at Starbucks before work one morning. Schedule me in to your already too-full schedule so we can talk about how full our schedules are ;)
