Set some Goals

Why yes, I do have 8 minutes to exercise.
8 minutes, exactly. 

I've been slow to set my New Year's Resolutions in stone this year.  I've had about 8 resolutions kicking around in my head, and I've been trying to whittle it down to the most important 3, because I've decided that I can only reasonably remember 3 resolutions, and I won't stick to resolutions I can't even remember.

I keep coming back to these 3 resolutions--resolutions that I blurted out in haste when one of my friends asked me what my resolutions would be on New Year's Eve.  But once I said them, they really did seem to make sense as my biggest priorities for this year.

I'm sure you're dying of anticipation by now.

So, here they are:

My 2011 Happiness Resolutions:
1.  Exercise.
2.  Teach my daughter about God.
3.  Be a better wife to my husband.

Those are my overall goals, and here are my short-term goals to get there (the therapist in me just has to make these goals more specific, although I like the short ones above b/c they're easy to remember).

1.  Exercise - Do my "8 minutes in the morning" moves, or yoga or pilates DVDs every day, if not in the morning, then perhaps with Flanna before bed.
2.  Teach my daughter about God - I need ideas here!   I'm thinking I'd like for her to learn a song and do a craft every week based on some sort of liturgical calendar theme.  Surely someone knows of a good place for ideas in this area?
3.  Be a better wife - I think my marriage is remarkably fun and stable, but much of that is because my husband is such a lighthearted, responsible, and understanding guy.  This year, I want to try to reduce the need for understanding:  to reduce the clutter, to keep up with laundry, to have a regular date night, and to be a source of energy rather than being drained by the time I see him at the end of the day.  (Hmm, maybe being a better wife will involve getting more sleep?)

On that note, I think it's time for bed!



What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2011?

Pray without Ceasing

I used to hear people use the term, "prayer warrior," and it sort of made my skin crawl. It seemed so holier than thou. And sort of creepy to think of a spiritual battle ground going on behind the scenes of everyday life.

But someone called me a prayer warrior the other day. Someone I know and love dearly.

And I was humbled.

From this person, it seemed like a huge compliment, an honor, to be called a prayer warrior.

Anyway.

The thing is, I don't pray as often as I think I should. I don't have a consistent time I set aside each day for prayer. I don't have any sort of prayer routine yet, although I really wish I did.

But, in the past year or so, prayer has become a big part of what I do each day. Any time I have a free second--in the car, waiting in line at the ATM, cuddling quietly with my daughter--my mind is usually drawn to prayer. Not because I'm a great person or a very disciplined person. Just because I care deeply about the people around me. And it seems to me that every person I know is fighting their own private battle of some sort. Big battles with no easy solution. And those battles are constantly on my mind. Job searching in a bad economy, health issues, financial issues, fertility issues, figuring out how life works with a child with a disability, trying to find a diagnosis for your child's rare disorder, loss of a parent, loneliness...it seems no one is spared and given an "easy" life.

Maybe I'm a worrier. A little anxious sometimes. Or a lot of the time. But my mind stops and rests on these concerns of my friends, family, and clients about a thousand times a day. Is that normal? I really don't know.

But I think that's why I pray. Because of my busy mind. And my wonderful friends and family and clients who are brave enough to divulge real life difficulties to me, to open up about their own little stories, their own little trials, and big trials. And huge trials.

And it doesn't hurt that I'm a member of an online prayer group through my old church. The other members of this prayer group--now they're the prayer warriors. Me, I'm not sure. That word still makes me a little nervous. But maybe I'm at least beginning to have the instinct to pray without ceasing.

In any case, prayer brings me a lot of happiness. It brings me calm and peace, and a feeling of connection with those I'm praying for, and with God and the angels and saints. Does that sound crazy? In Orthodoxy, we believe that we can pray to saints to ask them to pray for us, too. And that when we are in church worshiping, the saints and angels are singing and praying along with us. So even if we're the only person besides a priest in a service, there's really a whole crowd of saints and angels worshiping alongside us. I really think it's such a beautiful image. And sorry if I make any non-Orthodox folks out there cringe...I know it's a lot to swallow. But the communion with the saints stuff is really a big part of why prayer has been so meaningful to me lately.



If you pray, why is prayer meaningful for you? How often do you pray? Do you pray with words or just general thoughts? Do you hold images in your head when praying? Do you think that prayer makes you feel happier or more connected--to people and to the spiritual world?


By the way, the icon at the top of the post is Saint Melania the Younger. I took her name when I became Orthodox, so my Orthodox name is Melania. Check out her story if you're interested.