Discomfort comes in all kinds of forms. The sickness inside…the heartache…stress at work…being woken up by a newborn 5x in the middle of the night…discomfort means different things to different people. To the early bird, getting up early is just the thing. To the night owl, waking at 5am to write a blog doesn’t seem fun, but here I am up with my 2 year old and I’m tired, but glad to find the time to write this week.
Albert Einstein once said: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” Not everything that matters can be measured, quantified, etc. Right now…sleep…I feel like that’s something that matters and can be measured, but then again, how much does one really need? Everyone’s different.
As a CPA, Einstein’s quote doesn’t surprisingly bother me. As someone who’s trying to declutter it motivates me – not everything in my house counts – I can live without… As a mother who’s trying to get sleep I’m wondering if I can apply the counting concept to the lack of sleep, sometimes, and trust that God will multiple benefit of the sleep I do get.
A Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger,
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort and
To turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Art Depicting St Francis of Assisi (see link)
Have Less to Have More 