Reboot Your Day - Step One

BOOT: [verb] to cause to load (especially an operating system of a computer) and start the initial processes; see also BOOT UP. REBOOT: [verb] to restart the boot process; in serial fiction, it means the discarding of much or even all previous continuity in the series, to start anew. ..


Have you ever wanted to reboot your life? Discard much or even all of the previous continuity in the series of your life and start anew? Realistically (and thankfully), it can't be done. You wouldn't want to discard all that came before - all that formed you and the life that you live. You wouldn't be you.


Lately, though, I've felt like I've needed a reboot button for a couple of areas of my life. Physically and spiritually, I've needed a reset. I've noticed that this often happens when I reach a milestone or a goal I've set. For instance, I set a goal to run a half marathon in mid-February. I actually didn't reach that goal because the race was cancelled due to snow! I felt out of sorts and disappointed afterwards. It took me a few days to access the good, the bad and the ugly of an unexpected outcome. 


Spiritually, I've needed a reset, too. I stopped practicing the things that keep me in step with my walk with God. I skipped a Sunday at church. I skipped a few homework lessons to prepare for my small group. I skipped a week of tracking gratitudes in my journal. 


Like a computer glitch, one of these things alone is not enough to make me want to pray for a restart. But all together, it added up. I needed a hard reset in both cases. I needed a  control/alt/delete: I had to create a way to get my operating system back on track. 


Here are a few steps I found to reboot:


Step One - Get Grateful: A wise man once said: maturity is marked by gratitude and stability. The one thing I was not doing in either case was looking at the gratitude in what I did have. In the case of the race, I started listing all the things that I was thankful for: my feet were not cold and wet and blistered, the wind was not in my face for nine miles, I did not have to run 13.1 miles, I got to eat pancakes, I could go home early and play in the snow with my dog, I could go home early and pick up my nephew from my parent's, I was not going to be sore for three days, etc. Eventually, I felt like I was handling it like an adult.  Plus, I'm still adding to my list. AND, I'm ready for next year!


STAY TUNED TOMORROW FOR STEP TWO!