WQ - Rhythm Inspires

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

I'm participating in the Wednesday Quotes link-up hosted by Marsha at Always Write. The 2024 edition of Wednesday Quotes is all about inspiration and the prompt for this first one of the year is about New Years Organizing and how it can be inspiring. And Marsha's WOTY is "Inspire". Well, I love the idea of getting organized and being organized, but I don't find it easy to stay organized. I sure see the need for organization in my life this year though! I hadn't been able to write about my WOTY yet, but it's related to organization, and I hope that the inspiration that led me to choose it keeps me going, and that it gives me inspiration as well. And so, my WQ post is focusing on my Word of the Year . . . 

I'm in the process of learning or re-learning the importance of scheduling and managing my time. I've never been all that good at it, but over the years I've found a few tricks to help me. I just need to use them! I just started working full time hours and I knew that it would be especially important to establish a good routine just to get through the week. I will really have to stay organized and efficient! Everything from meal planning to household responsibilities and even laundry. I've been finding myself saying over and over again that I just need to settle into a new rhythm and routine. In conversations with friends, quite a few of them (including fellow bloggers who have commented on my posts!) have been encouraging me by saying that once I settle into a rhythm it will all work out.

Yet housekeeping actually offers more opportunities for savoring achievement than almost any other work I can think of. Each of its regular routines brings satisfaction when it is completed. These routines echo the rhythm of life, and the housekeeping rhythm is the rhythm of the body. You get satisfaction not only from the sense of order, cleanliness, freshness, peace and plenty restored, but from the knowledge that you yourself and those you care about are going to enjoy these benefits. ~Cheryl Mendelson

In addition to my practical need to find a good routine and settle into a groove, I feel that God's been talking to me about something closely related. I've been drawn over and over again to the concept of Sabbath and how right from creation, God has established a rhythmic pattern of work and trust or rest. The cycle of day and night, the predictable patterns of the moon and stars, the ebb and flow of tides, the turning of the seasons, the celebrations of the feasts, and even our seven-day weeks are all rhythms established by God. And that's been convicting me and inspiring me to be more intentional about how I observe the Sabbath rhythm in my life.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth." And it was so.

~Genesis 1:14-15~

You established the cycle of day and night;

you put the moon and sun in place.

You set up all the boundaries of the earth;

you created the cycle of summer and winter.

~Psalm 74:16-17~

What would it be like to settle into a rhythm of life that is in sync with the world? Being awake during the day and sleeping peacefully at night. Enjoying the patterns of nature and seasons, and celebrating the blessings of each one in turn. Staying in tune with my own body's need for activity and for rest.

Where I come from we say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get out of rhythm, that’s when we get into trouble. ~Babatunde Olatunji

I wonder if it's possible to get into a groove that isn't a rut! The kind of groove like a band or a choir feels when everyone gets locked into the same tempo and rhythm and we stay in time and in tune with each other so naturally. 

There is music wherever there is rhythm, as there is life wherever there beats a pulse. ~Igor Stravinsky

I've been asking myself what I need to do to settle into that easy rhythm of daily work and rest, weekly work and rest, and having a balance of living well in the present while having goals to work towards and good things to look forward to. I'm still wondering what that would look like day to day, but I know it will involve the discipline of working and intentional resting in balance. I think that just like I have to watch the director and keep the tempo when singing in a choir, and just like I have to stay in time and follow the lead when I play in a band, I have to pay attention to the guidance God gives me for living well. I can't drag my feet when he sets a brisk pace, and I can't try to run ahead when his tempo slows down.

We have to slow the rhythm of rush in our lives so that the best of who we are can emerge. ~Lysa TerKeurst

There's also a rhythm in celebrating small victories and meeting daily goals on the way to the bigger achievements. A balance in staying accountable and motivated but not pressured and driven along.

Energy moves in waves.

 Waves move in patterns.

 Patterns move in rhythms.

 A human being is just that

 energy, waves, patterns, rhythms.

 Nothing more. Nothing less.

 A dance.

~ Gabrielle Roth

So while I don't know for sure all the ways I'll need to establish rhythm and observe sabbath, I've got a starting point. Always watch the director.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work . . . For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

~Exodus 20:8-11~

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.

~Leviticus 23:3~

Very practically speaking, the two things I'm working on are meal planning and computer time management. I've got to do better at managing my computer time. I love to "waste" time on the internet, and I won't have much time to waste any more. I love spending time here in blog-world, but I'll have to plan ahead and be efficient in order to truly enjoy writing and sharing and interacting with others. Keeping up with the rhythm of the two link-ups that I'm hosting will be a test of my resolve! In fact, the first list in the 2024 Edition of Twenty-Six Lists on A Fresh Cup of Coffee is about Accomplishments (2023) and Goals (for 2024), and one of my goals is to be better organized!

What are your goals and inspirations for the year? How do you keep a healthy rhythm in your life? Leave a comment and let me know!

Wednesday Quotes 2024 is hosted by Marsha at Always Write. This post will be linked at #WQ #155: New Years Organizing Inspires WOTY

********************

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email. 

 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.