Volume 10: Rest in Detention

 

Fun fact: Throughout my entire life as a student, I never got a demerit or went to detention. Except for this one time we all got pink slips for parking in the wrong spots during softball practice... call me a rebel!!!

Then, life became more exciting when I was on the other side, as the educator, who gave out detentions...

I came across this note last weekend, and it made me laugh... Oh what a life it was dealing with seventh grade boys everyday!!

But then I started thinking about detention, and how part of the punishment is to write a note to the teacher or sentences, repeating the same line over and over.

In that moment, I made a decision.... I was going detention. Reason: bad attitude!

In the past month, I have been catching myself with a negative mindset and lack of gratitude. While I know I am not perfect and there are different seasons in life, I want to be proactive in changing my mindset every day. 

Here's what detention looked like for me this week:

Every morning, I started the day by writing these sentences. And as cheesy as it seems, it worked!! The repetition helped my thoughts and set the tone for the rest of the day. With these truths at the forefront of my mind, I had a line of defense against any of lies that tried to creep in. 

After my week of detention, I celebrated my release with a hike to Sunset Rock. Perfect weather. Colored leaves. Friendly faces. Lots of dogs. What more could you ask for!!

As I was walking on the trail, I came up behind a group of two women and a little girl. We were on a section that was rocky and skinny so there was no room to pass. As my pace had slowed down while following them, I heard the Mom tell her daughter, "Focus. Don't rush. Slow steps."

And I immediately thought to myself, amen!!! 

So there's the mindset for this week: Focus. Don't rush. Slow steps. Be present where I am, in each moment! The ingredients of feeling at rest!