Finding Dull Moments

A few weekends ago I spent some time with two great friends who were my Bible study leaders in high school. They used to stay with me and my brother when my parents went away and I used to babysit their kids. I don't think I've ever felt older when I realized that their son, who I babysat from when he was a baby until he was 3, is now a teenager with acne. Wow.

Near the end of our time together as my stomach hurt from laughter and as we finished off a bottle of wine, one of them said, "So you don't have many dull moments, do you?" No, I don't. But her words have played in my head over and over since that conversation. I want more dull moments.

A dear friend moved back to the south last year, but when she lived here, she was also one of the busiest people I know. Her schedule was filled from morning until night at least a month in advance, which is common here. But she told me that after moving away, her life has changed dramatically. She works, comes home and has dinner, and might watch some t.v. before bed. Life outside the city is just slower.

But the trick is this: how do I, someone who is 100% committed to this city and the work that my church is doing, create dull moments in a crazy fast-paced place with a million activities to choose from. Well, not a million, but I frequently say no to things because I'm already booked.

I'm thinking a lot about it, and praying about it. Last week I house sat and couldn't access the Internet. So by 9pm I had nothing else to do but to get ready for bed, read and pray. I loved it. It made me want to be better disciplined about when and how I often I use my computer.

My life as a substitute teacher has actually also helped slow me down. I don't like to plan too much during the week, in case a substitute job comes up. But sometimes, like last Friday, no jobs came up. So there I was, without plans for the whole day and all my friends working or otherwise occupied. I loved it. It was a gorgeous day, so I adventured out on my bike to the fabric store, then a favorite book store, then to the park to read my new books, then rode my bike home. No agenda, no time frame, nothing to rush home. It. was. amazing.

I've made it part of this lenten season to find dull moments and discipline myself not fill them with any plans (or mindlessly searching the Internet or watching Hulu). It's been good for the soul. I'll share more later about other things I'm beginning to learn through dull moments.