Hi, my name is Mel.
And I write. Like, a lot.
I pour out my feelings in this space not-quite-but-mostly every day, and my huge dream is to finish writing and publish a book of my Indo-stories.
I’m also mommy to the most amazingly wonderful and talkative little girl. (Think as chatty as her mama. ;))
So, in essence, there are an extra-lot of words all over my days. 
When Holley shared with us what she’d like us to think about and apply this week, I almost laughed at my initial response.
In fact, most likely I did. (Laugh at myself, not my sweet friend. ;))
Choose what you will decrease in your life so that your God-sized dream can increase.
Friends, I almost think you might laugh, too.
Because, though the dream of writing a book is inching closer and closer to reality, what I chose to decrease?
Writing.
I know it sounds like an almost-too-easy answer.
But it makes sense to me…and maybe some of you can relate, too.
I am first and foremost a follower of my Father. Then comes wife, mommy, friend. All things that will remain, no matter where life takes me, priorities.
And after that, a mix of writer-runner-creator-singer/musician…things that fuel my passion for life.
But mixed up in the writing hat is the fact that I not only am somewhat-furiously writing a book, I’m also trying to blog 5-6 times a week.
Writing is how I process the extraordinary and the everyday…whether or not I have anything important to say. (I rhymed…love. That quote totally belongs on Pinterest.)
But last week I had a moment.
On Wednesday, I hit a social-media-overload wall fueled by too much blog reading and commenting, and too many status updates, tweets, and dessert-pins. Can’t blame a girl for loving dessert, though. 😉
I actually buried my head in my hands and then closed my laptop for several hours and just sat on the floor and played with my daughter, forbidding myself from opening that computer. And as Mae and I put puzzles together and rolled out play-doh, took her princesses on a field trip to the Little People farm, and giggled at life in general…I thought
about how I’ve got to find some kind of balance with writing…to write with purpose and not because I feel like I have to.
I started by somewhat-unplugging for the weekend. (No blogging or commenting Saturday and Sunday and keeping other forms of social media to a minimum.) It helped that we were out of town, but it was a good time to consider direction.
I love this space and plan to continue here. But I also need to learn to give myself permission to miss a day or two (or four) in a row without feeling as though I’ve failed somehow. My new goal is no more than five days a week but at least three. (And if I don’t do three…extending lots of grace to myself. ;))
I also need more focused, spaced-out, intentional book-writing time. (I can’t write with the same intensity and productivity on consecutive days.) I typically take Wednesday nights from 6-10 for that, but guess what? Ash Wednesday is tomorrow. So I’ll need to find another time during Lent where I can sit, uninterrupted, and just let the words spill. My goal is to find two of those times each week…spaced out enough that I don’t feel like I’m forcing the words. (And if one or both of those don’t happen in a week…more grace.)
It’s not a race…it’s obedience. He’s got the timing figured out already…I just need to daily walk out what He’s called me to do.
To read more amazing things God is teaching a group of dreamers, click on the link below. We’re linking up every Tuesday and would love to have you join us!
