Is Busy Bad?

I’m from Atlanta. Hustle and Bustle is in my blood.

On vacations I’m just like my dad, up early, and always asking what are we doing next?

Starbucks, one of my favorite places in the world, is constantly Busy.

At work, I’m always busy. Whenever someone asks me how work is, I say, “Busy, but it’s good.” Because th

at’s what I really think, being busy is good. It means I’m productive, things are happening, we are moving, I am relevant.

I’m too busy to tell people how busy I am.

You can see there are some pros and cons to this. I’ve started to realize I place a lot of value, my value, on how full my agenda is. Isn’t that what we all do? “Let me show you my calendar” or translated: “I’m busier than you!” Why is this so important to us? Is it because that somehow means “I’m more important than you!”?

I am not against productive citizens of society, however, I’m sure you see the dangers. When you add too much to your plate, you miss out on other things: bubble baths (you’re actually too tired to find time to relax), a spontaneous call from an old friend (if your busy you’re hitting the Ignore button), and reading for pleasure. That’s the thing I miss the most. I love to read, and I am struggling to find the time.

I’d appreciate it if once in a while you took time from your busy schedule to call and find out that I am too busy to talk.

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy. I am not pulling my hair out. I would say I’m not stressed, because I don’t feel stressed, but I think I am putting stress on myself and my life. Most of my nights and weekends are full of to-dos, errands, and goals. I don’t really know how to avoid it, but I think a big thing that will help is cutting back on TV. It takes up time, and if it’s not my favorite shows, what’s the point?

What can you do to cut out some busyness or stress in your life?

No one wants to talk about it…

This isn’t the average post, but I feel like it needs to be said.

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year (my favorite, actually), filled with wonderful music, family, friends and beautiful decorations. But for some people it is a hard season. The subject of suicide has come up several times recently in the past few weeks and I think it’s a taboo topic that people want to avoid, but maybe the problem is, we’re not talking about it.

Here are some statistics on depression and suicide from the National Institute of Mental Health:

• Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44.³
• Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.^1, 2
• While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32.⁵
• Major depressive disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.⁶
• The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over age 85.⁹
• Four times as many men as women die by suicide⁹; however, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men.¹⁰

– Statistics from http://www.nimh.nih.gov

Carl and his band played for the Out of the Darkness walk to help raise awareness and support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

AFSP Walk to Raise Awareness

It was so moving to see friends and family share the lives of the ones they had lost.

In Romans 12:

¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; …

¹² rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation,devoted to prayer, …

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

As the church we are called to support our brothers and sisters in times of need, and also reach out to those who my not know Christ. Please be sure to reach out and share your joy this season, and let your loved ones know that you care.

For more information on suicide prevention, visit: http://www.afsp.org

Do you care what I think?

Your relentless political Facebook posts finally turned me around to your way of thinking – Said nobody, ever.

Are you ever scared to post your thoughts in social media? Either you’re going to offend someone, you are going to hear the backlash of people who disagree with you (strongly), or worse, no one will care!

Social media is funny, because we are often bolder behind our computer screens than we are in person. We say things on Facebook and Twitter that we would never announce to a crowded room. Our views on politics, religion, and social etiquette are all loaded topics, which is why so often people avoid them in conversation, but give us a 140 characters and we’ll tell you how we feel!

 

“I think camping is stupid!”

I love not camping.

– Living in North Georgia, odds are this comment will offend someone in my social network. Someone will disagree with this statement, and decide to tell me about how wrong I am, or everyone will dismiss my random outburst. None of these are my objective, but honestly, I probably had it coming. All I was doing was broadcasting my opinion, looking for a response, and I will get one, even if it’s not the desired result.

I don’t know about you, but when I think about it, I want social media to be an interaction, not a reaction. I want to exchange ideas with my network, not force mine on others! I want to share my life, not my judgements.

“What’s everyone doing this weekend?”

How much better if we invite people to share! To be blunt, I want to see your wedding pictures, your baby, your weekends with family, just not the hateful outbursts.

But I guess all of this is just me broadcasting. What do you think the purpose of social media is?