Puzzles and Prayers.

Post 8 of 10 daily posts in the “July ’21” series.

Cycle day 3. A little perusal through my notes and journals shows that within a few days of a couple of my last few Day Threes, I’ve written a poem-esque vent of frustrations about Nathan. Love you hon’. I guess we got lucky this time around because he’s away for the weekend, and I have felt no such provocation.

Granted, about 270 of our circumstance feel very different this month than previous months. Nonetheless, I think there is something worth noting in this pattern.

During menstruation, I’m inclined to be especially irritated by the people in my life – even super wonderful people like Nathan. (As if this is rocket science.) What can you do? – Give thanks. Pray for them. Confess my own irritating behavior. Yeah, fine, but not really.

Keeping stress solutions 100% in the mental/spiritual realm deepens the toxic idea that really all of my problems are about me.

Sometimes what me needs to do is change the circumstances.

Heading into a weekend of single parenting (times four) and gathering with lots of extended family all while involuntarily shedding the lining of my uterus is not a time to pile on more hard stuff. (You know, like giving thanks and praying while continuing to do too much.) I’ve been really intentional and realistic about trying to set up for high chance of success during this window when rest and down-time are essential. And it’s been helping! Having Nathan away at this time is sort of a plus, because there is a special kind of peace for my mind and soul when everyone in the house is asleep and I don’t need to talk to or listen to anyone. Especially right now.

So after a long hot day at the lake, we did an early bedtime, and I got to do this:

Puzzles of beautiful things are some of my favorite things. Because of what I had prioritized earlier in the week – knowing I would need some margin – I was able to do this in a room that was tidy in a house that contains mostly clean laundry.

This does not often work. That’s no excuse for acting mean and crazy. But if it’s true that our brains really want to have some serious thinking time and our bodies need to have some serious rest time, let’s not defy those miraculous systems by praying for miracles instead of just providing them.