Maintenance

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? - Matthew 6:25 (NRSV)

Today I am sitting in the waiting area of our car dealership as they do the routine maintenance on one of our cars and it got me musing about the common, everyday things we all need to do and how they can consume so much of our time and energy. On an average day, 85 percent of women and 67 percent of men spent some time doing household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management activities (from:

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm). According to the DailyMail: Americans spend $140,000 in their lifetimes and 30 days every year on boring household tasks like cleaning and laundry. I couldn’t find a quick answer to the question about how much time the average American spends on car care but I think you get my point, a lot of our time is spent on routine care and maintenance of our homes, cars, and families.

This got me thinking about the time and effort I spend on the maintenance of other aspects of my life: my health, my spiritual self, my intellectual side, etc. I would guess that it isn’t what it needs to be for me to be the healthy, happy, satisfied person I want to be. It is easier to see that the dishes are dirty and need washing or the pile of laundry needs doing or the check engine light is blinking and take care of those things then it is to see the atrophy in my spirituality or the lack of muscle tone in my brain.

But you and I are both aware of the fact that regular time, attention and effort spent on our spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual health is just as important to our lives as prepping for dinner or cleaning out the lint trap. And the fact of the matter is that regular attention and maintenance of our spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual selves can be a whole lot more fun than cleaning the bathroom or changing the litter box. And I think it is just as important!

I try to take advantage of those moments in my day where I have some unexpected time. Waiting in line, sitting in traffic, even washing dishes. I will use those times for a quick breath prayer or to reflect on a passage of scripture that I am working with. I will take the time between finishing my chores and watching one of my regular TV shows to surf the channels and seek out the National Geographic or Smithsonian or Science networks and catch a few minutes of some nature or exploration show. When I am working on my computer (like now) and feel I am stuck or need to take a break I will often click on Google Earth or the NASA site and surf around. My daughter plays a game with her family that when they get change from a purchase they all guess something that happened in the year the change represents and then when they get home they search the date and see who might have been right but also learn what happened on that date (both CE and BCE are acceptable in your guess😊).

Given the way life goes we all need to take advantage of the moments we are given and use them in ways that feed us, mind and body and soul. Sometimes it means just breathing. Other times it may be a game or an internet search. And sometimes it will be meditation or prayer. And maybe even spend some of those moments just relaxing, listening to music or taking in the scene outside the window. This is called living an intentional life and I believe that it makes for a healthier, happier life. Now I’m going to finish this up and see what I can find to work my brain or deepen my spirit or help with my wellbeing.

Dear God, help to see all the moments of my life as a gift. Help me to use that gift in ways that make me a better person and in ways that make the world a better place. Help me to know that working on me is as important as any other activity I engage in. Amen.