Better with Friends

Have you ever done something or got in the middle of something and thought, "this is crazy?" It sounds fun at the beginning. You began with energy and excitement and then you begin to wonder what you have gotten yourself into.

I am in the middle of one of those things. I am too far in at this time to quit and really I do want to finish it. It might be crazy. It might be time consuming. It might be hard but I think it is rewarding. I say I think because I have not finished it yet.

It all began in January a friend posted on Facebook about a 100km walk and was anyone interested in doing it with her. In talking with my friend I decided why not. I can do it. My friend had volunteered last year and was impressed with the people that did it, not the athletics but the people that worked hard and walked lots, the people that you cheered when they finished. She came back with the idea, "if they can do that, I can do it." So she recruited some friends to join.

So the crazy thing I am doing is a 100km walk. 50 km on one day, a night at base camp and then we get up the next day and do 50km again.

For the past few weeks we have been walking on a Saturday morning. Some days it is beautiful and some days it has been cold and wet. We even had a day of sun as we began and then rain but that is English weather.

We have gotten lost, scrambled down rocks as we couldn't find the path, jumped across a stream, fell in a stream (just one of us did that though if you hear the story it might be described as a raging river), drank cups of coffee, ate some cake, talked, laughed, and did it with friends.

We have begun the countdown to the race, less than a month. We have been training in our hills and hopefully that will make it easier when we walk. One day I had over 250 flights of stairs on my Fitbit. I have set a few records on the Fitbit.

I have enjoyed the company and the accountability. I think if I didn't have some meeting me on the corner to begin the walk there would have been many Saturdays that I would have just stayed in bed.

I have to say that this is Better with Friends.

That is my crazy thing for this year. Maybe for this decade. Have you ever done something crazy?

Beth

Margin in Life

I learned to type on a manual typewriter. I know that ages me but I was about 10 or maybe 12 when I learned to type. I remember sitting at the typewriter and practicing jjff kkdd llss ;;aa as I learned the home row. As you began typing, one of the things that you needed to do was set the margins. Then with your fingers on the home row and you would begin typing. As you get near the end of the line, a little bell would chime telling you that you needed to move to the next line. You physically had to reach up and move the lever so the paper would go to the next line. If you did not do this when the bell chimed, you could just keep typing and go into the margin and then even off the page. What is typed beyond the page is unreadable.

Margins are there to give space around a document. It gives white space to make the document easier to read.

Margin in life gives us space. It gives space to have down time, space to reflect, and space to be still. Margin in life allows us be able to meet needs in our own live or in the lives of others. Margin allows us to have time for the unplanned and unexpected.

Do you push each day to see how much you can get done? Do you have a to do list that is longer than possible to do in a day or week?

Margin doesn't just happen. You need to plan margin into life. Give yourself time to sit, time to dream, time to reflect. Sit and meditate on God's word, pondering who God is and what he wants you to do.

Look at your week and see when you can add margin into the day. Use the margin to refresh yourself, spend time in prayer or use the margin in ministering and serving others. Have margin so that the unexpected of life doesn't push you to the maximum and you have no extra time.

Do you have margin planned in your week? How do you use the margin that you have?

Beth