Are you flipping out about life right now? You may be happy to know you’re not alone. I have some teacher friends who will tell you this time of year is wack-a-doodle. Frazzled nerves, to-do lists up the wazoo, and a strange combination of melancholy and glee.
Next, we have the parents who are planning graduation parties for their high school seniors. I’m hoping when it’s my turn, my kids will want to skip the festivities and go back-packing through Europe instead.
Then, there are those looking for a job that doesn’t seem to exist. I’ve talked to two handfuls of people in the past month who are actively trying to walk through doors that keep slamming. It can make you a bit crazy.
I’m a 100-90-10 sort of person. I’m 100% sure that God has a good plan for our lives. I’m 90% sure I will live through our current state of stress (Saul doesn’t have a job, yet we are relocating somewherewhen we evacuate our house on June 7th). Then we have the 10%…
The 10% comes out at the least opportune times. Maybe you know what I mean. You go visit an elderly parent and drive home racking with sobs. You sit in church and the pastor reminds you how much God loves you and your eyes begin leaking uncontrollably. A commercial for Folger’s coffee leaves you a blubbering mess.
Ever been there?
That’s my 10 percent. Is it yours?
I’d love to tell you there is a solution, but sometimes we just have to feel the feels.
Yet there is something that counters some of the sadness and anxiety. Can you guess what it is? Kindness.
Saul and I took the convertible to the grocery store (in case you’re following along, the old Audi is feeling better than ever thanks to an awesome repair guy in Lancaster!).
When we came out of the store, there was an American flag sitting on my front seat. I was so delighted by that FRK (flag-related kindness) that I drove all the way home holding it in the air.
Then Saul and I delivered it to the neighbor boy who took off running so we couldn’t steal it back.
All of a sudden, the boxes in our dining room don’t seem so daunting. The job situation feels like a new adventure. Just like that, I’m back in the 90%.
If you’re flipping out about life right now, I encourage you to flip your perspective. When you feel yourself being dragged down, look for the kindness around you. Find it, create it and allow it to pull you back into the 90%. Kindness has the power to do that.