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June 4, 2015

LOVE RULES: Be Interruptable

By Angela Beeler

I was a stay at home mom for almost 10 years.  It seems completely unfathomable to me that I ever did that -- especially from where I stand now.  But that decade was filled with all sorts of emotions, one of which was complete and utter exhaustion.  The endless days with a schedule dictated by Disney Junior made me feel as though my life ran on replay.

I remember one day my three-year old the time, Landrie, was clamoring for my attention.  There was this new, wrinkly baby sister who was ALWAYS around, and Landrie spent about 30 minutes coming up with "watch me!" antics to get my attention.

"Watch me, mom!"  Stands on right foot.

"Now watch this!"  Stands on left foot.

"Wait, watch this!" Makes silly face.

On and on the performance went, and my patience was growing thin.  In an act of pure flesh, the 25th time Landrie said, "Watch this," I looked at her and replied very simply, "No Thank you."  And then I went on about my day.  (It's not a moment I'm proud of, folks...but desperate times calls for desperate measures.)

There are seasons and schedules when being interrupted feels like the 25th "watch me!" trick.  I get it.  Lord, help me I GET IT.  But even when patience is thin and flesh is weak, the Love Rule for today is still a good idea:

LOVE RULES 7

Are you schedule-driven? Type A? Have you ever been accused of being inflexible? Do you value process over people? While most of us would never publicly admit it, some of us have an unhealthy obsession with our appointment books. One small off-schedule issue and we're melting on the floor.  If we just described you, you more than anyone, needs a small lesson in being interruptable.

When we make time for interruptions, we open ourselves up to opportunities to connect with those around us -- people we would have missed by adhering to our schedule.

Simple interruptions might include: midnight snuggles from a child who can't sleep, an impromptu late night movie well past your bedtime, meeting co-wokers for happy hour, a last minute weekend getaway, cereal for dinner followed by family game night or saying yes a child who wants you to "watch me."

How interruptable are you? Don't forget that on the other side of that schedule, people are waiting to connect with you!

If you need a few pointers on becoming more interruptable...check out our accompanying video here and then join the discussion by answering the question below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1phHjhXPAM

_________________

When is the last time something or someone interrupted you that resulted in a beautiful opportunity for connection?

 

4 COMMENTS

Eugenia Wang

9 years ago

I love this video. It is good to remind people to take some time out of their lives to observe others around them..... Wow, did not know you are a mom. I thought you were fresh out of collage. The fountain of youth must lie in living the Refit Lifestyle!! Keep up with the fantastic live stream videos as I hope to become a certified Refit instructor someday myself:)

Candi Kooken

9 years ago

This is so great! I like to call these interruptions "divine appointments". Sometimes the Lord is trying to show us something or even help us enjoy someone (kids!) And if we don't accept this divine appointment then we will miss it!

Katie

9 years ago

Thank you! Great video and wonderful tips. I love how relaxed you are in front of the camera...I felt like we were chatting as friends. :-)

Ada Velez

9 years ago

I work in a hospital step-down unit, as a nurse's aid, so my patients are somewhat "needy" at times. My most common interruption is that a patient will need something while I'm doing my charting or trying to inhale some lunch. One time in particular I remember I had been a little more stressed that evening than most. I had a patient who was older, and very ill. And I was "interrupted" by this patient at least 5 times in the last 5 minutes. So I went in and asked what she needed. She motioned for me to come close to the bed and reached for my hand. She squeezed my hand so tight and whispered, "You know, I'm not scared if I die, but I want to say you have been so good taking care of me. I just want to say thank you." then she asked me if I could sing to her. I told her the only song I could sing decently was Amazing Grace. Her eyes lit up, so I gave it my best shot. I don't know if it was her medication or my singing, but she was asleep by the time I finished one verse. I felt like I literally floated through the rest of my shift. From that one interruption, we both had needs met. Thanks for letting me share.

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