Beyond Words

I’ve been known to throw down a four letter word every now and then and I definitely have my go-to one. I’m pretty certain I’m not alone. Stub your toe? Let it rip. The car behind you doesn’t let you in? Verbal road rage ensues. My team throws an interception? Locker room talk at its finest.

F-bombs and potty talk notwithstanding, I’ve discovered there’s another four letter word that has me twisting and shouting: MORE. Yep, the word “more” my friends, is a certified four letter word. And it’s stressing me out.

It’s something society throws in our face. You should work more. Make more. Do more. Achieve more. Succeed more. Post more. Want more. Buy more. Exercise more.

Yes, I long to be that girl who wants to exercise more, but I also want to laugh more. Share more. Enjoy more.

Tis the season for more, but often not in a good way. This is the time of year we inevitably spend more and want more. We do more and go more. We make ourselves crazy trying to achieve more and perfect more.

More presents to buy and more packages to mail.

More parties to attend and more outfits to purchase.

More gifts to make and more cookies to bake.

More decorations to put out and lights to hang.

More internet sales and social media posts.

More time to spend on things I seem to not have time to spend on.

It kinda makes me BLUE and results in another four letter word: BUSY.

I don’t like busy. It doesn’t inspire or impress me. It makes me unsettled.

Still, I do want more.

More time to relax.

More down time.

More time to reflect.

More money to donate.

More friends to share with.

More family members nearby.

I also desire more HELP and more TIME.

I crave more pure joy and way more simple CALM.

My body tells me I need more REST.

I could also use a lot more yoga. A four letter word that centers me.

I would also like more time to READ and to WALK.

Why do the holidays create more stress and less gratitude? Wouldn’t it be nice if we instead focused not on MORE but on another four letter word: LESS?

Less stress.

Less to do lists.

Less errands.

Less expectations.

Less noise.

To accomplish this, we need to implement yet another four letter word: STOP.

Stop the crazy.

Stop the self-induced pressure.

Stop trying too hard.

Stop keeping up.

Stop the madness.

If we must have more though, how about more LOVE?

I love that idea.

How about devoting more time to PRAY?

Answered prayers, right?

Ironically LOVE and PRAY are both four letter words and if practiced consistently, just may create that calm we all crave.

So, let’s let go of the musts and shoulds of our lives, if even for just a few moments each day, and focus instead on the reason for this season of more.

We don’t need more, we need to love more.

We need to appreciate more.

And we need to slow down more.

Can I get an AMEN?