Plodding- to walk or move heavily and laboriously; trudge; to work steadily and monotonously; drudge
Have you ever had a plodding day? Where you just kind of go through the motions and endure each moment instead of enjoy them like the Lord intends us to? Where there’s really nothing wrong with life except that maybe you can hardly stand to think of more snow, ice, and cold? You haven’t? Well, let me tell you, I have. The last several weeks I’ve kind of been focused on a project, which I finished up on Saturday. I had been kind of racing to get done before spring came, and so now that my project is done, it’s time for spring, right?
Not!
These last couple of days I’ve found myself going through the motions of life, doing school and laundry and meals and blah blah, just kind of plodding along, getting ‘er done, but without the usual energy I have, just not feeling like ‘myself,’ you know?
Hmm.
Come to think of it, it’s kind of like the February Blues I wrote about last year, except this year I was determined to follow Diane’s suggestion and enjoy the slower pace of being snuggled in and warm. And so I did enjoy February! I enjoyed the project I attempted (well I enjoyed the results anyway), I enjoyed lots and lots of read-aloud time with kids, I enjoyed music practices and lots of duets with lots of kids and puzzling and cross-stitching and making lots of cinnamon rolls. Oh – and I enjoyed something new I’m learning: tatting (more on that another post). I even enjoyed a few times outside sledding and skating when it wasn’t so wicked cold.
. . . . this is kind of strange, now that I think about it . . . .
Reading back over the fun cozy slower paced warm wintry stuff we did, it seems like we had a really good February. Which we did!!!!
So - - - - - -
Why the plodding days, the enduring rather than enjoying, the drudgery trudgery feeling??
I really don’t know. . . . . except maybe that IT’S TIME FOR SPRING!
I miss the sunshine on my face. I miss taking walks and feeling the wind on my cheeks and in my hair. I miss the fresh air blowing in my windows. Call me weird, but I even miss CLEAN windows. I miss petting the horses and kittens. And swinging with the kids. And campfires in the backyard. And the smell of the barn (the hay, not the manure).
Mostly – I miss warmth. I’m tired of cold. I’m just plain colded out. Don’t get me wrong. I’m eversograteful for our woodburner warmth. I know there are thousands in the world who are literally freezing. I shouldn’t even complain. But I’m human, and it is March, and it’s been a really long and a really cold winter, and I’m tired of cold. I’m longing for warmth.
So I had a few plodding days this week. Tired. Cold. Whiney. Weary. Worn down. Burned out. A little stuffy nose didn’t help at all.
Ugh.
I don’t like myself when I act like that. I wish someone would spank me and send me to my room. I don’t like being around me when I feel that way.
Can you relate?
THANKFULLY, like all things in life tend to do sooner or later, these plodding days passed, and now I’m feeling like myself again. Still tired of snow and cold and winter; but . . . I don’t know, was it more sleep? Stuffy nose better? More sunshine? A little warmer maybe? Stronger faith? God’s grace? All of the above?
Whatever the reason – I’m glad to be through them. I know I’ll have plodding days again, and I know too I’ll get through them because Jesus Loves Me this I know for the Bible tells me so. He’ll help me whether I’m praising my days away or plodding through them like an old work horse pulling a plow. I know He’s with me even when I feel alone and tired and plodding, but oh how much sweeter life is when the plodding is through and the praising resumes.
For those times when you’re plodding instead of praising - - - think of this song. It’s one of my favorite songs that we sing as a family, and I think Dad would say it is his number one favorite. The melody is beautiful; the harmony is phenomenal; the lyrics are a powerful prayer that our God will always answer.
Where No One Stands Alone
by Mosie Lister
Once I stood in the night with my head bowed low
In the darkness, as black as could be
And my heart felt alone And I cried oh Lord
Don't hide your face from me
Hold my hand all the way Every hour every day
From here to the great unknown
Take my hand Let me stand
Where no one stands alone
Like a king I may live in a palace so tall
With great riches to call my own
But I don't know a thing In this whole wide world
That's worse than being alone
Hold my hand all the way Every hour, every day
From here to the great unknown
Take my hand Let me stand
Where no one stands alone
The project I’ve been working on: valances.
It’s been a year and a half ago that we finished the addition to our house; my intent was always to put some sort of window treatment up, but I’m not good at that sort of thing and it never got to the top of the list until this winter. I started with our bedroom, thinking only of doing those windows in a dark brown suede that matched the bed skirt and loveseat. After those four were done, I loved the look and wasn’t happy with the rest of the windows in the house. Suddenly they looked bare and, well, unfinished. So back to Hobby Lobby for more fabric, and hours and yards of fabric later, I’m more than happy with the results, although I didn’t love doing them because I’m really not a decorator-type person, and, as I learned, suede is kind of hard to work with. At least with my antique machine it is. The girls helped some, but I did most of the actual sewing because it just didn’t feed through my machine very well.
Did I mention that I really like how they turned out?
Before:
After:
That’s all! May your today be blessed with an abundance of praising instead of plodding!
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
