Saturday, April 30, 2011

What I am I Learning from This?

What I am I Learning from This?

So today, the day before a big event I have at church, and on a beautiful spring day here on the prairie or in the cornfields, if you well, I am sitting in the house without a voice, pouting! Why you ask? Well, a few hours ago Daren left with Christopher for a trip into Omaha to see “Les Miserable.” It was suppose to be me going with Daren. Not someone else!

So instead of correcting or grading writing papers like I should be doing, I am sitting reading a bit of John Bytheway and Wendy Watson Nelson. Sitting in my recliner contemplating about my life and what I could be doing differently. These are my thoughts:

I have been thinking about my upcoming birthday! I guess I have my list of “things” I want to accomplish and as I watch my friends and family check some of those “things” off their bucket lists, I wonder why I am not making the progress I should. I get the old attitude of “Boy, Ann, you sure are lazy!” I know that in reality I am far from it. But with that said, that’s how I feel. They say at 50 one suddenly feels contentment and not competition! I am sure hope so!

Wendy Watson Nelson, the wife of an LDS apostle and marriage and family counselor conducted a study. A study that I found very interesting, and I for one I am going to try. Really I am! She asked women to do the following:

"For five days in their morning payers, they were to pray with concerted effort for the Holy Ghost to be with them that day. Then, throughout the day, as they encountered any difficult, tempting or trying situation, they were to pray for and really picture the Spirit being right there with them.”

The outcome was this for these women when they used the above mentioned advice was the following :

o An increased desire to reach out to others and to follow through on commitments
o An increased ability to be kinder, gentler, and more patient
o An increased desire to de-junk their physical environments
o A greatly reduced desire to watch TV
o An increased desire to take care of their bodies by living the Lord’s law of health more fully
o An increased ability to see how they could have handles situations better
o An increased mental focus
o An increased ability and desire to really study and learn
o Old habits of backbiting, gossiping and cynicalness falling away
o A dramatic increase in their physical energy, because energy-draining negative emotions were gone
o An unbelievable reduction in stress
o Profound changes in their conversations with others

Just for five days worth of work! How grateful I am for a new start each and every morning! I’m dying to give this a try! Can I please hit the hay right now?

2 comments:

Kate said...

Ann! I love this. Thanks for posting and sharing this. I am for sure going to try it out for this next week. We should always ask for the Spirit to reside with us. The Spirit brings it unto us, we are to bring it into us. Can't wait to get started either. :)

thoughts of a Wicked Stepmother said...

Ann, thank you for this Post! I needed it for myself. Thank you!