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Thursday, September 26, 2013

busy season


We are in the throes of busy season.  I am a tax accountant by trade, so this time of year can get rough.  We made it through one deadline and are pushing through the next.  Overtime weeks have plenty of long and stressful days, with short tempers and tired eyes.  Oh but I can see the light!  Three more weeks - I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Working in a profession that is run by deadlines forces me to prioritize.  Projects are in different stages of review, but they all have to be out the door on one fateful day.  On a larger scale, I have to prioritize my life to get everything done.  So what stays?  And what goes?

Well, first goes exercise.  Usually I exercise when I get home from work, so working late sucks that time right up.  For a week I tried getting up early to exercise before work.  Yeah, no.  Not this girl.

Next goes those home cooked meals.
Try a new recipe?  Those tried and true recipes are way faster.
Use a new gadget?  I don't even have time to open the box.
Make something from Pinterest?  Ain't nobody got time for that.

So the dinner menu begins to rotate between mac 'n' cheese, Chipotle, and sushi.  Bon appetit.  This is on top of the fact that my firm brings in lunch, so basically I am eating out, twice a day, for months.  Don't get me wrong - it is fantastic to have food provided (no time for grocery shopping!), but add this to the no-way-I'm-exercising-before-the-sun-is-up situation, and things are getting ugly.  I start having cravings for leafy greens and oranges.  The produce section seems a mystical place that I remember from another time.

Dog park days are traded for a few quick tosses of the tennis ball in the courtyard.  Puzzles and crafts are packed away in the closet.  Books gather dust.  The vacuum hibernates.

I learn what I can do without.
And what I can't.

I find that I can't do without purposeful time with Sean.  Even if our menu gets a little repetitive, we can have fresh conversation.  As the quantity of free time shrinks, we focus on the quality of the time we spend together.

I can't do without my precious friends and family.  While we may not see each other as often or as long, their sweet texts and prayers raise my spirits.  An hour over coffee can make the whole week feel manageable.

And as I look at those moments and relationships that my soul craves, I find God.  He already knows that my only need, my only priority, is Him.  His love shines through the encouragement of my dear friends and family.  He is strong in my weakness.

Sometimes, it's good to be reminded.