Life is chock full of “Have To’s and Need To’s!” We have to go to work. We have to pay our bills. We have to maintain our cars. We have to pay taxes. We have to eat. We have to sleep. There are so, so many Have To’s in life. We simply can’t get away from them.
And then, …there are the Want To’s and Like To’s! We become so laden down with all of the Have To’s and Need To’s that it goes without saying, the Want To’s and Like To’s quickly get pushed aside. We are consumed daily, weekly and monthly with mounds and mounds of things we have to do, crowding out even the very thought of taking the time to do something that we want to or would like to do. These are the things we put off year after year. The very things that may seem frivolous and unimportant,… but ARE THEY?
What if those things we have labeled unimportant because they aren’t bearing down on us, refreshed us so much that it actually gave us a second wind? What if… these were the very things that actually breathe a fresh breath of life into us, causing us to come back to do the necessary and yes, even the mundane, with a new set of eyes? What if our taking the time to do something on our bucket list because ‘we’ve wanted to for so long,’ actually strengthened us and left us feeling as if we’re ready to tackle many of our tasks that are needful with a JOY we haven’t had in a very long time?
Do you love to paint? How about drawing? How about a craft or hobby you used to do that you really enjoyed but stopped doing because all of the Have To’s caused you to feel you just didn’t have the time? Have you been wanting to visit the Grand Canyon or a Tropical Island? Do you love to read? Have you considered grabbing a good book, a lawn chair, something to drink and going to a park or a lake and sitting by the waterside drinking in the sights and sounds of the water’s edge? Just sitting there, forgetting about all of your tasks at home and RELAXING? (Now that’s a concept, isn’t it)? Actually —RELAXING—while reading your book that has been sitting on the shelf in your library for who knows how long? That very same book that you catch a glimpse of every time you go into your library muttering under your breath …I really need to read that book…SOME DAY.
Several Years ago, when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life that created overwhelming STRESS, I took up card making. If I was scrolling through Pinterest and a card inspired me, I couldn’t wait to sit down and try something similar. I would sit down for an hour or two at a time, and let my imagination run wild. Most of my Card Making centered around the same theme: Encouragement for others! I made encouragement card after encouragement card, and you know why? I was operating in a huge deficit! It was something I needed so desperately. It was a time when it felt like all hell was breaking loose and my life was spiraling out of control. I needed strength. I needed someone to say, “Carole, everything is going to be okay. This too will pass. You will get through this. You can make it!”. That huge deficit in my life created a crater in my heart the size of the Grand Canyon—that desperately needed to be filled. Card Making became a source of strength and encouragement to me. Yes, it even became a life-line.
As a Christian woman, I know my strength comes from the Lord, but…He was using my Card Making to unleash the gift of creativity from within! Card making is only one of a host of creative things that makes my spirit soar, and the very reason, I chose to open my Shopify Store: Carole Dianne Designs! Creating and Designing a wide variety of products in multiple mediums…is just so darned life-giving to me! Quite honestly, I can’t stop. It’s a gifting God has placed in me and it HAS TO COME OUT; I MUST HAVE AN OUTLET!
What is it that is life-giving to you? What creative hobby or activity do you love but THINK you don’t have time for—because of the busyness of life? Isn’t it time you start scheduling in those things you not only want to and like to do, amidst the have to’s. TODAY I CHALLENGE YOU TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF and like the age-old quote by NIKE: “JUST DO IT!” NOW get ready for that breath of fresh air. Take it deep into your lungs and start LIVING—AGAIN!
