Getting My Groove Back After Vacation

I had a wonderful visit back home in Corry, Pennsylvania! I talked to friends old and new as well as was able to spend time with relatives that I had not seen in a long time. I got to get to know nieces and nephews that I had never met before. My youngest brother has four children that I had mostly only seen in pictures. Now they know that their Aunt Donna really is the tyrant that their Dad said that I was. All good things have to come to an end, so here I am back at my desk determining what needs to be done now and what I can put off for a few days.

Today I am doing something that I almost never do. I say this even though last week I did the same thing. I waited until the last minute to write the post for this blog. Usually, my posts are at least a week ahead, but because of the working vacation that I just finished and the yard sale that we had here at the church, I didn’t have enough posts ahead to stay ahead so I am working right up to the last minute trying to get this post ready for publication. I had thought about not even writing one at all but decided that it was important to talk about the process that I am going through to get myself back on track.

Now that I am back at home, I am better able to focus on my priorities going forward. I wrote down everything that I know I have to accomplish, not just today, but throughout the upcoming week. In addition, because it is the end of the quarter as well as the end of the first half of the year, there are things that I need to accomplish now that will catapult me toward a successful end of the year. I will share more about my plans for the next quarter in a future blog post.

Today, however, I am not ready to do that. I have a number of things that are pressing right now. The first thing that I did was get them all written down in a list. One of my big projects that I need to finish before the end of the month in three days is to finish the edits on Sailing Under the Black Flag. Another is to finish this week’s posts. There are a few things that I am cutting back on. For instance, I am cutting back on how much time I spend on social media over the next few days. I have some things that I am going to not do all together. I am not going to go to a meeting with other pastors this morning that is planned for every Tuesday morning. I have already missed two sessions and I will easily be able to catch up next week. More of a priority is the prayer time that I am obligated to participate in one time per month on the radio. That is tomorrow morning so that is on my to-do list for this week. I have the monthly, quarterly and semi-annual reports to fill out.

Continuing to Care for the Body, Mind and Spirit

During this time of extreme busyness, I have to continue to remember that there are areas where I don’t want to skimp. For instance, I need to continue to care for my body, mind, and spirit on a daily basis. For my body, I eat well and have created an exercise program for myself that utilizes breaks in writing . This re-energizes me so that I can go back to work after the short breaks that I take. The language learning program Duolingo helps me improve my mind. Every day I do at least one new lesson in a language and currently that language is French. I should be dong more than just the one lesson in French and I should also be reviewing the Spanish that I am already doing, and I will be working on that again soon. For now I am on a minimal maintenance plan. Once I get past this mid-year hump, I will work on that as well. My spirit is renewed daily as well. A friend of mine shared what she does every morning and I have started using that same program to connect with God every morning. I have started meditating on the five truths every mornig while I am doing my first physical exercise of the morning so that I am not only physically energized but spiritually energized as well. In addition, my physical exercise is done to uplifting Christian music. Sometimes I try to sing with the music while I am meditating and exercising. These simple hacks provide me the energy to finish what I need to finish right now without losing sleep over it.

How I am Getting my Groove Back

1. I have a list of things that I do and determine what I need to accomplish each day, what can wait, what I can delegate, and what I can eliminate,
2. Provide the energy that I need to get these things done by providing the fuel needed to feed my body healthy foods and exercise, feed my mind by learning something new every day (studying a language), Feed my spirit by using the five truths to seek God’s guidance and meditate on his word.
3. Taking action on the things that I know are most important.
4. Making a plan and scheduling for the next ninety days so that they are more fruitful and productive than any previous quarter.

Donna Brown is pastor at Faith in God Church  1 1/2 miles south of Brandsville, Missouri on Hwy 63. Sunday services are at 10 am and Wednesday night Bible Study at 6:30 pm.   As Author Cygnet Brown, she  has  published a nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues, and, A Coward’s Solace, Book III of the Locket Saga. The next book Book IV of the Locket Saga: Sailing Under the Black Flag will be out in the near future.

Her most recent publication were two booklets Help From Kelp and Using Diatomaceous Earth Around the House and Yard. Available in paperback

.For more information about Cygnet Brown and her books, check out her website at http://www.cygnetbrow.com .