Lost in the Chaos

Do you ever feel like you've got so many things going on you can't even catch your breath? I've been there. Recently. I am still trying to slow my pace long enough to get back into a routine.

I love training horses because there is a plan and a rhythm to it. Yes, you are constantly having to think fast and be willing to be flexible, but you also have a goal and a step by step process. Unfortunately, life doesn't quite work that way...

Lately, I have had a lot of changes happening, good changes, but changes none the less.

Changes that have created, almost overnight, an extremely hectic schedule. Changes that have been pulling me in a bunch of different directions. Add to the changes and chaotic schedule, a lack of sleep and man, I'm barely hanging on!

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The last time I worked on this blog post was February 17, 2021... a full 5 months ago!! All I wrote at that time was the first two paragraphs above the line. During those months, I was running at breakneck speed. I was working full time, more than full time really, nurturing a new relationship that turned into an engagement and wedding planning, and trying to remember what the dreams were that God placed on my heart.

You see, I was running at such a speed that I was exhausted. Sure, we would take weekend hikes or go here or there, but I couldn't have a conversation without bringing up work and I couldn't go minutes without checking my phone, yet I had lost touch with my friends and family.

About three and half weeks ago, Brandon and I made the decision to take a risk and go out on our own starting Hershey Performance Horses like I talked about in my last blog post "Chapters." Rereading what I wrote back in February, I can full well still relate to a hectic schedule. However, I have made it a priority to slow down. Thankfully, I have an amazing fiancé whose dreams are similar to mine so he supports this slow down. But, I have learned that a slower pace doesn't mean I'm less productive. On the contrary, I feel more productive with things that really matter.

Somewhere along the line, our culture has created this fast paced hustle and bustle system to where many people are operating at far less than 100%. When was the last time you prioritized rest or fun in your life? What if those priorities became a weekly habit?! Could you imagine?

I challenge you sit down this week and think about what your priorities might look like. For me, my priorities look something like this:

1. My faith.

2. My fiancé.

3. My family and friends.

4. My legacy - what I'm known for, who I helped/served, what I built up (Hershey Performance Horses, a ranch, etc.)

As I go through my days and make to-do lists, I use my priorities to help me filter what I need to do first. While not every day, week, or month can be a vacation, as it has kind of seemed my life has become, we do have the power to take our work emails off of our personal phone, to shut our phones off at dinner or with others, to make a morning walk a priority.

Friend, I urge you to throw a wrench in the chaos. Take some time to have some fun. As one of my favorite podcasters, Annie F. Downs, always says, "What sounds fun to you?"

Go. Do it. Have some fun! Get some rest! Do not let the chaos run your life. One day you'll wake up and wish you would have taken the opportunity to go on that adventure.

I hope you enjoyed all the photos I added in here. They are all photos from the slower pace that I have been running lately and I have ENJOYED it! What have you enjoyed lately?!

xo,

Sara