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The Three Rs . . .

12/11/2021

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It happens every year. The time changes and the days grow shorter and colder and I get this sudden urge. Not to burrow in. Not to hibernate. Not to go into nesting mode. No, I go into what I call my “three Rs” mode.

Now since I was a career educator, I could see where you might think my three Rs are a desire to Read, ‘Rite, and do ‘Rithmetic. Or you might think, because of the attached image, that I am a die-hard environmentalist so they stand for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But while I adhere to all of the above six Rs, those are not my three Rs. Mine are . . .

. . . Relinquish, Reassess, and Refocus.


Relinquish . . .

For some reason, right when there is so much going on and so many other things that need to be done, I get the desire to purge myself of many of my possessions: clothes, books, knickknacks, anything that has taken up space but has not attracted my attention over the past year. I go through a major clean-out, and the thrift stores receive a plethora of items they probably don’t need either.

Reassess . . .

While the above might take a bit of mental engagement, cleaning out really does free up my mind to reflect on my year and how I spent my time and money; how I approached my eating and health; and how I dealt with my relationships––then decide if I am happy with the answers I come up with.

With my three Rs, there is no nice, tidy cycle like the one pictured above. Mine has lines that go back and forth, and right here at step two, I often have to go back and relinquish some of my control or selfishness in these areas I just mentioned.

Refocus . . .

But my final step, once all the assessing and reassessing and relinquishing are over, is to refocus. I could beat myself up over my 2021 shortcomings and failures, or I could just bask in my successes, but neither would be beneficial. I am not making resolutions, but once all of the physical, emotional, and mental clutter has been jettisoned, I am refocusing on what is important. And that always starts once again with “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Mathew 22:37)

Once that relationship is front and center, then I will once again know where my priorities should be.

Yes, each year at this time I am always throwing out “something” I have collected over the year that I don’t need or is harmful, but I also know that each year I am always a little bit further along in my Christian walk than I was last year at this time.



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Refreshed, Renewed, Reset . . .

9/5/2020

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I needed that.

Once I realized that I was fighting battles that weren’t mine to fight, I decided to take a month off to retreat and  regroup. I watched minimal news and viewed even less social media. I tried to avoid talking about politics and the coronavirus. I spent more time resting, reading, writing, walking, and praying. I am happy to report the following results.




I am refreshed. Just like an unexpected summer rain takes away the heat and pollution and tiredness that builds up, so too my respite has washed away my weariness and my energy has been restored.

I feel renewed and ready to resume my activities with a new spirit, and I have a visual reminder of this new lease on life. A creature of habit and routine, I really don’t like change. Consequently, for all twelve years that I have lived in my home, every wall in my house has remained the nondescript mocha it was when I moved in. That is until about a month ago. The lock-down left me with some time on my hands, and too much time staring at those walls. So I finally heeded the urgings of others and took a chance. I painted two rooms in bold colors. The dry walls soaked up the new paint, and the rooms took on a whole new freshness and look. I feel the same way.

Finally, I was able to reset. During my years as a teacher at Clovis West High School, I ran the clock for all the girls basketball games. Sometimes, I would get so involved in the action of the game, I would forget to start or stop the clock on time. As a result (usually because a coach noticed and complained), play would stop, and the ref would come over and have me reset the clock to the correct time. Then play would resume.

This was what I had needed to do as well. I had become so distracted by all the voices around me that I wasn’t listening to the only voice that was important. I needed to reconnect with my God and refocus on what He wanted me to hear. And funnily enough, in a world with so many conflicting voices and opinions, His command was so straightforward and simple and had never changed:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 30-31)

Oh, how different our world and relationships would be, if we just focused on these two things.



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    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

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