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So for years, this has been non-yard-sale Saturdays at our house:
One of us: "We really should clean-up and organize the garage today. It's a dirty wreck."
The other one: "Yes! Best idea, ever. We really should."
One of us: "Oh look! Blue Bloods and Hawaii 5-0 are On Demand. And I forgot to tell you that _______ arrived yesterday from Netflix."
The other one: "Oh good! Hey, let's order out for lunch. Is Chinese ok?"
One of us: "Sure! Sounds terrific. Here's the menu and the phone number."
Heh.
Well, last week I had a lightbulb moment: I could keep complaining about our messy garage and waiting for Tom to help me clean it (and groaning whenever I stepped in there)
--or--
I could spend 3 or 4 minutes puttering each weekday after opening the garage door for a soon-returning-from-work Tom. You know, putting 'like things' together on shelves. Sweeping. Gathering trash. Hanging stuff up on nails. Etc. Just for a few moments.
A decision was needed, for decisions get things done. Or not done, as the case may be.
And wow. After a few quick clean-ups, almost immediately the garage stopped feeling like a nightmare. I remembered that Dread lies--he tells you (even for years) that the thing you must do will be awful and you will hate it.
Stupid, paralyzing liar, that Dread guy.
But tell him to sit down and hush and who knows what you'll accomplish! Maybe even happily. Or slowly. Yet slowly moving forward still counts as we grow older. Whew.
“Sometimes", said Miss Phillips, "the thing you dread doing is the very thing you should do, just so you can stop thinking about it.”
― Marci Shimoff, Chicken Soup for the Single's Soul
“Panic and terror aren't the only kinds of fear. There are deeper kinds, more terrible kinds. Apprehension and heavy, heavy dread.”
― Veronica Roth, The Traitor
What are you dreading today? Just do it. And be free.
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Have a bit of extra time today? Here's a post from 4 years ago detailing my (silly) dread of company dinners in fancy restaurants. :)
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Free Kindle Books:
The Sweet Dreams Bake Shop
Who Murdered Mr. Malone?
Who'll Pick Me?
Dying To Read
Boy is that true! Anticipation is always worse than the actuality - at least most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. Anticipation of a job or activity can be worse than actually doing it. Thank you for the book links...I downloaded all of them!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Thanks for this post, Debra. I have been dreading my next chemo session (next Wed), and I know that is wrong. Deuteronomy 31:6 is a perfect verse for me to hold onto. I'm gonna write it out on a several sticky notes and surround myself by the truth. After all, the truth sets us free.
ReplyDeleteSusan and Betsy--so true! Often just going ahead and doing something feels sooo good. Why do we wait so long? Sigh... :) Oh and Betsy--so happy you liked the free books and were able to get them for your kindle.
ReplyDeleteOh Pam! I'm so glad that this verse and post were a help. Thank-you for letting me know--I'll be sure to keep praying for you during these times of your treatments!
Thanks, Ladies! Blessings, Debra