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.
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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