Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday Food-For-Thought: "Chin Checking My Priorities"

Mike check.

Mike check one. Check two.

*Lee smacks the microphone with her hand. The resulting high pitch sound causes her to shrink in terror.*

LOL!!

Man, this posting every day is a trip!

Not many folks read on Sundays. And I don't have to worry about the lurkers coming out the box on me.

So I don't have to too much censor myself.

(Well, I haven't been bothering to censor myself anyway, lol).

I've spent a good amount of my weekend pondering my priorities.

And how I need to be crystal clear about what they are and keeping them straight.

I don't do this often enough...

And it becomes something akin to taking a short nap in a canoe on a nice day, and then waking up and finding I've floated far from land. And far too late, I realize I've forgotten my compass. I forgot to set the anchor.

And goodness gracious alive, where the hell is my cellphone????!!!!

And is that a gang of sharks circling my canoe? OH LAWD HAVE MERCY!!!

(You get the picture. Uh, stuff can get away from you if you ain't paying attention).

And I have to get up, look to my left, look to my right... and figure some things out.

Ya'll know what I'm saying. I'm trying to explain this to myself, in a way that I can understand my own processes.

Serenity and I have been reading a devotional entitled Woman to Woman: Candid Conversation from Me to You by Joyce Meyer. I like Joyce Meyer, as she comes from a not-so-perfect background, and tends to really relate her teachings through her own history of abuse and self-worth and poverty issues. In other words, she keeps it real, and gets her point across, no holes barred.

Well, Day 15 of our devotional was titled "Determining Your Priorities"

I was intrigued by a set of questions asked that will help determine what my priorities are.

What do I think about the most?

What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night?

What do I pray and talk about the most?

What subjects fill my conversations with God and with others?

What do I do with my time?

Do yourself a favor, and go off in a corner and answer those for yourself. And be real honest about it.

I've answered it for myself in my personal time.

And let's just say, I need to get my priorities straight. Especially the part about what the heck is on my mind. Certain stuff needs to be sat off somewhere in a dark corner of my mind.

No, that mess need to be QUICKLY stashed in a trash bag and set out on the curb.

Really though.

This morning, I was looking at one of my shows that I watch on Sunday morning, and the pastor broke it down on a more secular tip, of all things:

If I'm having a problem determining my priorities, then I can look at a few things in my life to make it brutally clear where my priorities lay...

1. Take a look at my bank statement.

2. Take a look at my calendar.
(Most folks have blackberries, but I keep my schedule in my head, lol).

And this one tripped my head out, as it was totally unexpected.

3. Take a look at the friends I choose to hang around with. Better yet, take a look at the friends/people I shun.

What the world? That produced a serious flurry of *cricket* activity.

Yeah man... go back off to that same corner you were sitting in earlier and ponder that.

#3 is a trip. Really though.

I think I told my brother and sister, and I STILL pound this into their head.

LadyLee Postulate #501:

"If you surround yourself with a good set of high quality people, you've solved 99% of your problems".

That's a bit extreme. Or is it?

Think back on some of your messes. Was there a friend influencing some things?
Think back on your successes. Was there a friend there cheering you on?

Hmmm... ya'll some perfect folks. Maybe I'm just speaking for my imperfect self.

But I submit to you: No one fails or succeeds alone. Someone else is always involved.

Go chew on that. That's tough like some meat that needs to stay in the oven just a little while longer, you see.

Anyway, this is heavy food for thought so early on a Sunday morning.

I won't make this a long post. Because me answering those questions above.

Mayne... Shorty... Homie...

I'll be sitting here typing alll day and well into the evening. it'll be 100 times longer than last sunday's angst filled post.

I got stuff to do today: Like washing clothes, cleaning up, crocheting, working on my lil' NaNoWRiMo project, cooking up some nice vegan fare (well, not vegan... I plan on having a broccoli, mushroom, and cheese pizza for lunch).

But I thought that I would share these little tidbits today. I know if I can honestly look at my priorities from every direction - emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically-

Then I can set my little canoe in the right direction...

Then I can set a proper course...

Get myself back to dry land.

In other words, as my coworker Cowgirl Cre has said "We at the age where we just have to be honest with ourselves."

Yes, we have to be honest enough and alert enough to chin check ourselves.

Chin check.

Chin check one. Check two.

*Ladylee rubbing sore chin*

Yeah, I'm up, alert, and ready to make a few adjustments... the very necessary ones.

Ya'll take care, and have a FINE Sunday... on purpose, as always.

4 comments:

  1. The Green Eyed Bandit3:36:00 PM

    Love the post. Starting my workbook today!

    Um....the next time you and Serenity start a book/devotion/workbook, can a sista get in on it too?

    I have to check something, but I may have some other stuff for you to chew on too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is the second "Preach" post this week.

    This right here...
    "Think back on some of your messes. Was there a friend influencing some things?
    Think back on your successes. Was there a friend there cheering you on?"


    You can't get much truer than this.

    Preach!

    ReplyDelete
  3. But I submit to you: No one fails or succeeds alone. Someone else is always involved

    Hmmmmm. Yeah, that one got me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8:50:00 AM

    It was extremely interesting for me to read the post. Thanks for it. I like such themes and everything connected to them. BTW, try to add some images :).

    ReplyDelete

Slap the *crickets* out the way, kindly step up to the mike, and SAY something!!