This summer I've been very motivated.
I have been working hard to get our home in tip-top shape.
Here's why.
2 summers ago I didn't work.
I had just graduated college, and had my teaching job lined up for the fall.
So I took the summer off.
What did I do that summer?
Nothing.
Well, not nothing.
I slept.
I went shopping.
I watched TV.
I perused the internet.
This created a lot of tension in our marriage.
I was young, dumb and selfish.
Mr. Free worked hard all day at a job he hated.
He did this to provide for us.
For me.
He came home tired.
What did he come home to?
An unkept wife in an unkept home.
This frustrated him to no end.
Don't get me wrong.
He knew I deserved some 'me time'.
However....not 3 months straight of it. : )
During our engagement, we read 'The 5 Love Languages' by Gary Chapman.
A very interesting read.
I learned that Mr. Free's 'love language' is Acts of Service.
Mine is Quality Time.
He knew I loved him by me helping around the house.
When I would do the dishes, mop the floors, clean my underwear off the floor.
All those things showed him I loved him.
That is not my love language. So I didn't think much about it.
Looking back now, I am sad and ashamed almost to how I spent that summer.
That time could have been spent blessing my husband and our home.
Instead I wasted it to be self-indulgent.
But I look back and have learned a lot from that.
This summer I am very blessed to have this time off, and have declared that I will use this time to be a blessing.
Brooke and I read that book when we were first married (8 years ago). We have the same languages as you guys. I'm Acts of Service and she's Quality Time. It's easy to forget to live it out sometimes, but when we do, it does make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to bet that you're happier this summer, too.
ReplyDeleteI am 100% for you exploring interests and being a blessing to your households...but I am concerned at the guilt you're feeling. You're a teacher. You work (and I'm guessing a lot of unpaid overtime) for 9 and 1/2 months under more stress than most people understand. I guess given that timeline you hadn't started teaching yet, but...It is my humble opinion that even given the fact that you want to honor your hubby, fill your well deserved summer vacation days with things that make YOU happy
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous-
ReplyDeleteThanks for understanding the demands of a teachers schedule. Many people do not understand how demanding those 9 1/2 months are.
I've just come to realize how selfish I can be, and how I can be a huge blessing to the most important person in my life. I'm doing a lot of stuff for me too....like sleeping in late, shopping a bit, hanging with friends....so no need to worry. I'm keepin' things balanced. : )