Luxury Problems...Get Some Perspective

Found the draft of a blog post from the beginning of September.  I have gained some perspective since then (see end of post for updates), but it's still  worth posting my rant if for nothing but to remind myself that my "problems" are luxuries to most of the world.

source


September 1, 2013

Feeling funky today.  Not good,  R&B funky.  No, more like stinky cheese funky.  Could be a mini-breakdown due to moving across 4 states, kids starting school, and turning 40 this month.Could be hormones.  Who knows.  My chief complaints are as follows:

#1  Two months in our new hometown and we still are not settled in a church.  This matters because it is where I find my center.  I never really feel at home in a city until we have a home church.

#2  Since we moved, I have gained 12 pounds and my beginning of summer clothes are NOT going to be my end of summer clothes if I want to be able to breathe normally.  Lord, please hasten cooler weather so I can hide under puffy layers of denim and wool.

#3  After 8 years of homeschooling, my kids are in school, all of them.  Yes, they went to school last year, but that doesn't count since the hubs and I were full time business owners--I don't even remember last year.

Now they are gone all day and I am in a losing battle against urges to walk mindlessly through Target, bake, and watch Food Network (could be related to #2), while the laundry, bills, and dirty dishes pile up.

     Family:  Mom, what's for dinner?
     Me:  I don't know.  Have a cookie.
     Family:  Mom, what am I supposed to wear to school tomorrow?
     Me:  I don't know.  Have a cookie.  

It's only been one week since school started, so I'm chalking last week's "do nothing fest" up to summer decompression.  I'll do better next week.  Maybe.

#4  Middle-Age has my number, and it's calling in exactly 19 days.  Whoever said, "40 is the new 20," is just stupid.  That statement is wrong in so many ways.

#5  I live in no-man's land.  Seriously, our neighborhood is spread out among the hills and we all have large lots.  I have more interaction with wildlife than with humans.  Coupled with #1 and #3, I'm a wee bit lonesome.

All of these things have pulled me down into a funk noticeable enough for my husband to ask me about. First, he dispelled my negative body image by assuring me that I look fabulously sexy and he never even noticed that I'd gained weight (good man).  However, he then sucker punched me with this statement:  "These are all luxury problems, Allison."

Luxury problems are woes that only about 1% of the world's population ever experience.  They are the problems of abundance and wealth; "First World Problems."

We have not settled on a church because there are several great options to choose from.  In many parts of the world, believers are ecstatic to walk 20 miles to attend covert worship services in underground churches.

I have gained a few pounds because I have more food than I know what to do with.

My kids get to go to some of the best schools in the country, for free! (Yes, I know...property tax.  Throw me a bone here.)

I am approaching a milestone of 40, rich, memory-filled years of life on this earth; and every birthday I celebrate brings me closer to my real life which is hidden with Christ in heaven.

My "no-man's-land" home is beautiful, safe, cozy, and large.  My neighbors have already reached out to my family with much kindness and hospitality...the ball is in my court.  Time to get off my butt and practice having an open heart and open home.


UPDATE:  November 9, 2013

We have found a church with strong biblical teaching and genuine, living-out-their-faith members.

Shed a few pounds, but more importantly, focusing on meeting my running goals.  I refuse to step on the scale.  I track progress by my mileage and how my clothes fit.  Plus, colder weather is here....LAYERS!

The kids are not failing school and I have cut my Target trips by 2/3.

Turned 40, and lived to tell about it.

Slowly building community among my neighbors.

Praying every day for PERSPECTIVE.

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