Nothingness Leads to Everythingness

"Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely useless."

~Bill Watterson

This past weekend allowed for some leisurely activities, but it was heavily orchestrated by piles of sticky notes reminding me of my To Do Lists. Some days it feels like I'm on turbo speed--able to accomplish ten times as many activities as normal--and this weekend was one of them. After two full and busy days, I sat back and revelled in all that I had accomplished. The floors were vacuumed and mopped, every surface was dusted, the bathrooms were sparkling clean, every nook and cranny was clear of clutter, and the spare bedroom closet was reorganized and labeled to smithereens. Sticky notes no longer were clearly written but demolished by crossed-out lines and thrown into the trash. A book was read, a scarf was crocheted, a craft party was a hit. My weekend was a success, but was still lacking something.

How often do we sit back and do absolutely nothing? For me, it happens rarely. When I sit down to relax, I usually have something in my hands--whether it be a crochet project or my work iPhone--I am multitasking with something. Monday was a day off for Jesse and me, but unfortunately Jesse ended up having to work the whole day. This left me alone to continue trudging along through the weekend, completing errands and getting more house projects done. With him absent, I decided to challenge myself. Everything that needed to be done was done--nothing needed cleaning or organizing, and unless I wanted to tackle painting the guest bedroom, there was nothing waiting for my busy little hands to attack. So I sat. With my toenails drying from a quick self-pedicure, I sat back and did NOTHING. Granted this only lasted about five minutes, but still...there were five minutes void of doing. My mind wanted to wander to a world of lists, but I diverted those thoughts to things I'm thankful for. And it was then that I realized that perhaps nothingness is what leads us to everythingness. It's not until we stop amidst this crazy paced world that we see what we really have. Blessings poured into my heart and mind as I sat there, and in those short five minutes, I was more fulfilled than any checked off list could ever provide. Realistically, I know I will always find accomplishment in checking off my lists, but I think I'm realizing more and more that until I STOP and look around, I won't really see what God has provided. Blessings aren't seen or felt until I decide to look for them.