Last Thanksgiving, my sister, her husband, four of their six children and I went to my Uncle and Aunt's house for dinner. It was actually the day before Thanksgiving but who would ever turn down a Thanksgiving dinner. As we gathered to say the blessing on our Thanksgiving feast, my Uncle thanked everyone for coming and for being so flexible with their schedules to come the day before Thanksgiving. As he said this, my nephew Eric who had just barely turned five, started commenting quietly but out loud to himself. He said, "I, I'm not flexible. Now, Jenna (Eric's sister who was 8 years old at the time) Jenna is flexible. She can do the splits. I can't do the splits. I'm not flexible but I can do the arm splits." At that point he held up his arms in the arm splits. I could not help giggling over his statement and when I pointed out Eric doing the arm splits, we all had a good laugh.
I, I'm not that flexible. Even after years of what has felt that huge bouts of stretching in my life, maybe even being put on the rack (and I do mean this more metaphorically), I still do not like being stretched. 2009 was a hard year for me. I struggled with just getting through the year. 2010 started off with great promise. I met someone new, someone wonderful and we started dating. However, as good as 2010 started, it quickly became a year of stretching. I experienced heartaches that are very private but never the less, have caused me to question some core beliefs about who I am. I got a new job. A job which I love and I feel blessed to have but that doesn't mean that it doesn't challenge me almost daily and I do miss my old friends that I left at the other bank. I turned 35 years old. I have never been good at big birthdays and I just felt older and I felt that some of my life goals and plans were slipping away. My house sold (which is awesome) but the sale resulted in losing my roommate, changing homes, changing states, changing wards and changing callings (So far, I have lost one calling and yet to gain another). I met a wonderful lady at church a few Sundays ago. As she introduced herself to me, and I told her that I was new, she nicely said, "Now, don't think we aren't an accepting bunch but it just takes about a year to get acclimated." I told her I completed understood but to be honest, it just made me feel more alone. I feel so distant from my old life and I miss not getting lost and knowing all the shortcuts. My boyfriend and I have had many more ups than downs but lately it seems that even that relationship has caused me to stretch. Please don't mistake my lack of flexibility for ingratitude. I am blessed and so grateful for all I have. I am just sore and tired of all this stretching and I am wondering that maybe, just maybe if I hang in there, I can at least learn to do the arm splits.
I, I'm not that flexible. Even after years of what has felt that huge bouts of stretching in my life, maybe even being put on the rack (and I do mean this more metaphorically), I still do not like being stretched. 2009 was a hard year for me. I struggled with just getting through the year. 2010 started off with great promise. I met someone new, someone wonderful and we started dating. However, as good as 2010 started, it quickly became a year of stretching. I experienced heartaches that are very private but never the less, have caused me to question some core beliefs about who I am. I got a new job. A job which I love and I feel blessed to have but that doesn't mean that it doesn't challenge me almost daily and I do miss my old friends that I left at the other bank. I turned 35 years old. I have never been good at big birthdays and I just felt older and I felt that some of my life goals and plans were slipping away. My house sold (which is awesome) but the sale resulted in losing my roommate, changing homes, changing states, changing wards and changing callings (So far, I have lost one calling and yet to gain another). I met a wonderful lady at church a few Sundays ago. As she introduced herself to me, and I told her that I was new, she nicely said, "Now, don't think we aren't an accepting bunch but it just takes about a year to get acclimated." I told her I completed understood but to be honest, it just made me feel more alone. I feel so distant from my old life and I miss not getting lost and knowing all the shortcuts. My boyfriend and I have had many more ups than downs but lately it seems that even that relationship has caused me to stretch. Please don't mistake my lack of flexibility for ingratitude. I am blessed and so grateful for all I have. I am just sore and tired of all this stretching and I am wondering that maybe, just maybe if I hang in there, I can at least learn to do the arm splits.
