Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Make Room in Your Life for Joy!

Sometimes when we are too busy, and our minds too cluttered, it is easy to ignore the deeper needs of the heart. I am an especially high energy person and my typical MO is to say yes to way more than is humanly possible to do in 24 hours. Sometimes my “yes” is outward to others but many times it is a more subtle “yes” and internal, to myself. I may not even realize that I have extended myself well beyond my comfort level.

We all do this to varying degrees and every once in a while it is important to take stock in what we have committed ourselves to and make sure that our energies are being spent in the right places. I did this very thing 2 ½ years ago. I was working as a full-time School Psychologist, at a job which I held for 16 years. I loved what I did, and the children I worked with, however, the stress and pace were increasingly difficult for me to manage, given the needs of my young children, my husband’s work schedule and my perfectionistic/anxious personality style. I knew a change was in order. After many aborted attempts, I finally mustered up the courage to walk away from my secure job and change my life. I did not know what I would do next, but I knew I wanted to have more family time and a flexible part time schedule.

What I learned during the next few months shocked me. I found that with the extra space in my heart and head, I was able to hear a voice telling me to read about adoption. I did, and I felt immediately drawn to adoption from China. My husband and I decided to take a leap of faith and begin the application process to adopt a little girl. I would never have imagined that all the busyness of my daily life was hiding this deepest desire, but there it was. I could not and would not ignore it. That was the beginning. In May, I will board a plane for China, and fly across the world to unite with my daughter, a beautiful 3 ½ year old little angel, named Ling. I cannot wait.

While your joy may not be as dramatic as a transcontinental adoption, it is equally important and meaningful to your life. Whether it is a walk through your garden, developing a hobby, lunch with a friend or a total life alteration, it is essential to make space in your life to allow your deeper desires to surface. You just may be surprised at what you find!