Life in the Slow Lane

It's been a while since I blogged last here. I spent October and part of November in Ethiopia (see my other blog for pictures), and once we got back life was pretty busy with helping my new co-teacher Kimberly do her assessments and parent-teacher conferences, and then taking care of my own assessments and parent-teacher conferences. And then it was on to getting ready for Holiday programs, Holiday parties, and Holiday gift-giving! And then on Dec. 23 we flew to Utah and had a wonderful time celebrating with family until returning on Friday night. The last couple days have been really laid-back, and I've had a chance to reflect, write in my journal, and look forward to the upcoming year.

One of the things I wanted to record is the wonderful news that I am now part-time at work!! I work 7-4 Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and Britta (who recently came back from maternity leave) teaches my class (oops, I mean our class--still getting used to that!) Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So far it's worked great to share a class, and I hope it stays this way! It has been so wonderful to have three days a week instead of just Saturday to get things done like shopping, cleaning, cooking, scheduling appointments, serving in my church and community, etc. Life is seriously good for me right now.

Right after I went part-time I started feeling some serious temptations from Satan to think I'm a loser for not feeling like I could stay on top of everything while also working full-time. I felt like people were judging and looking down on me for not working full-time when I didn't even have any kids. After some self-reflection, I realized that it was actually me judging myself for not working full-time, and then projecting those feelings on the people around me (something I've done before and am trying to stop doing).

I decided I needed to confront those feelings, and so I did.

As I did so, a talk and a story came to my mind. First, the story:

When we lived in Utah, one of the members of my stake presidency was an older, retired man. He was very giving and helpful, and he had a knack for fixing things, including cars. And so he decided that one way he could use his skills to help others would be to spend time driving on the freeway looking for people who were pulled over on the side of the road and needed assistance.

In a talk one Sunday, he explained that after making this resolution, he packed his truck with his tools and went speeding along the freeway, looking for people pulled over to the side of the road. Well, it turns out that he liked to drive fast, in the left lane. And he realized that in the left lane, by the time he spotted someone pulled over on the right shoulder, it was too late to merge over four lanes to help that individual. He realized that in order to help these people, he had to drive in the right lane--the slow lane. He said at first this was difficult for him, but eventually he got used to it and was able to help a lot of people that way. Since hearing this talk, I've thought many times of what he said next--"If we truly want to serve God's children, we need to slow down and spend more of our time in the slow lane."

Now, the talk. It's called "Don't Be in a Hurry" and it was in last June's Ensign. I really recommend reading it. It includes quotes from some of my all-time favorite General Authorites, Elder Maxwell, Elder Wirthlin, and Sister Parkin.

Elder Maxwell: "Each of us will be more effective if we plan some time for contemplation and renewal."

Elder Wirthlin: "Sometimes we feel that the busier we are, the more important we are—as though our busyness defines our worth...That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance—that is essential."

Sister Parkin: "Take time to slow down and ponder so that you can feel the Lord’s love for you."

So, after some study and prayer and contemplation, I'm feeling a lot better about going part-time. I am just so excited to fill up this year with good things--serving others, developing new talents, and trying to enjoy life a little more. :) Here's to a fabulous 2011!