My Rhythmed Life

Rhythm’s make life easier. We are made for rhythm, the rising and setting of the sun, the seasons, the phases of the moon, and most obviously, when great music comes on we can't stop moving. All of this tells us that we were created for rhythm. I wane in and out of rhythm in my life. Sometimes my groove is totally on and I am moving through life.  I'm productive, but rested.  I spend time doing what I love and feel great about.  But there are other times in my life when my groove is OFF.  I'm tripping all over myself.  I don't love how I am spending my time and I can't figure out how to be productive.  

Just like untangling the knots of my emotional life, to really understand my life I have to observe it.  I make note of when I feel good and when I feel out of sync.  I track down the source of the angst and make a correction.  I have noticed that during seasons of having my groove on, this is what my weekly rhythm looks like.

Mondays are for getting my life in order, calendar, groceries, meal prep, etc
Tuesdays are for every kind of staff meeting you can think of, from our whole staff to worship planning to stage decor
Wednesdays are for youth group prep and youth group 
Thursdays are for laundry and putting the house together
Fridays are for rest and hanging out with friends
Saturdays are for family and recreation with a mix of weekend service prep
Sundays are for gathering with my church family, laughing with my SLUGs (student leadership underground group), with a nap thrown in there somewhere

To keep my groove grooving, my days must have rhythms too.  The times are not important for this to work, but moving through the flow is.

Get up, start coffee and listen to a podcast
Make lunches and throw in a load of laundry
Get the kids to school
Workout and listen to a podcast or book
Give my Soul some rest through meditation and reflection
Get on to the days tasks
Nightly walk/debrief the day with Paul

My weekly workouts even have a rhythm... gym, yoga at home, gym, yoga at home, gym, super long walk, nap.

To keep my rhythms in check I have to check-in with my values. This has not been the easiest task for me. I’m an ENFP, otherwise known as the never ending loop opener, i.e. it takes an act of God to close a loop. I have to set aside time to check-in with myself and ask myself what is still resonating with me and start closing the open loops that are no longer apart of the values I am called to at the moment. This is a great Monday activity for me.

One of the ways I keep my rhythms going is by having music to guide me.  The music I choose helps to point my heart in the right direction. This changes regularly, but this is the playlist for the moment.

For the last six months, I have started my days with this...

Then I wake my kids up with this... 

My Soul Rest time is guided by this album...

When I’m connecting with my social justice longings, I listen to this...

You can find the whole album here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3HmkL2AENDW4XO9Da0NGy9?si=paxOAvx9SFCNC4ayln9U4w

When I’m getting my life in order and enjoying life, I listen to this...

You can find the whole album here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/7dwIWyB2jdJgL3P2JEgRKm?si=4dTU7F8ZT3SMqMEPrc8M7w

I bet you have rhythms too. Intentional rhythms guide us, unintentional rhythms can hinder us. Do you know what your rhythms are? I would love to hear how you create rhythms in your life.