Off to a new adventure....

So, it's funny, because just a few short months ago I wrote about putting my dream back on the shelf. I was confused because I didn't have a dream. I also wrote about writing, again and then I stopped writing. But, guess what? I didn't stop dreaming - in fact, I began dreaming, feeling and walking in this peaceful obedience that at times felt incredibly: privileged, naive, ridiculous, bittersweet, scary, and everything else - but all the while peaceful... I'm sure I lost folks there.

But for the last three months, after some very turbulent times, I realized that I was depleted. Depleted in a way that was unrecognizable to other folks (even those closest to me), because I've been slowly, slowly, slowly emptying for so long  that by the last drop folks just think "oh, that's just who Shelby is now." I was the lively frog in the cool, to warm, to hot, to boiling water. And so, I started a daily study on stillness, peace, solitude, silence, and energy renewal.

That said while studying - I realized (and some very clear events helped lol) that my journey was bringing me to a spiritual sabbatical. At least three months, but at most 15 months to dig deeper in my faith. During this time, I look forward to praying longer, meditating deeper - simply being still in solitude. LISTENING. I want to listen. I want to listen to God's voice, I want to hear my inner woman, I want to be silent and listen to what the universe and others are telling me. I want to hear what my boys aren't saying. I want to move with the rhythm and the flow of the moment. I will eat, workout, and rest when my body tells me to, not when I have a spare second. During this Sabbatical, there's no pre-plan. I don't want to have an agenda, have a response before fully hearing, or have judgment without a full and complete observation. I want to simply be...

One thing that I have missed out on (due to a busy schedule) and I look forward to doing during this Sabbatical is stopping and listening  to ALLLLLL the folks- the farmers, my camping neighbor, the market folk, the baristas, the gardeners, the storytime folk, the fellow parents, the fellow pedestrians, the librarians, and the elderly woman at the craft store.