Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Where do You Put Your Energy?


The last few months my energy has slowly flowed downhill and dissipated each day around one p.m. Like a nagging dripping faucet, I could hear the air going out of me, and I felt powerless to do anything about it. I thought it was my thyroid and a simple change in my medication would be a cure all. I was wrong.

Last month, on June 11th, my doctor told me I had diabetes and if I didn't change my life, I would die early.

Yeesh. Talk about a wake up call.

Now, a month later, I am a different person. No longer do I need that nap that lasted anywhere from one to three hours. No longer do I drag from place to place. Taking care of my physical needs has given me back a precious, precious gift - energy.
But this new energy has provided for me a wonderful quandary. Where do I put my energy? I know now that a vital priority is exercise. Today I walked Scooby and played in the pool with Noah. That took energy. After my walk, I spend time with Jesus while I allow the fountain of sweat pour off me. I clean. I cook. I spend time with Noah and John. And of course, I write. But what about the other activities I'd like to do? What about hanging with friends, facebook and blogs, reading and TV?

For the longest time, I have had to measure out what I could do and where I could go because I knew that my energy was limited. But now, I'm back and better than ever. You know how when you get better after a sickness, you tend to do too much too soon, just because you are so happy to be healthy? I might be in that category right now. But it is wonderful!

So I need your help. How do you know where to put your energy? How do you prioritize?

2 comments:

Red Bridges Home said...

I know exactly what you are talking about. That's how I felt after my recent surgery. I'll be the first to admit that I can be a better steward of where I spend my energy but having said that, right now I'm focusing it on re-establishing some relationships that I allowed to wilt because I just didn't feel good. And since I love gardening so much and have an artistic bend, I'm teaching myself (via books) how to make Garden art with concrete. Sounds wierd I know, but I came across a book called A Garden Gallery by George Litle and David Lewis and wow was I inspired. They are artists and the worlds they create for people are astoundingly beautiful.

Glad you are feeling better!

Loretta Oakes said...

Just keep doing what you're doing my friend...and keep writing.