2 June 2011

Writing In The Margins

Thinking back to my schooldays, I remember trying to make the best use of my note books when it came to revision times. These essential books were 'dog-eared' and well-thumbed, crammed with useful bits, with all corners of the page used, even the margins.

A friend of mine brought the subject of margins to my mind when talking about planning my day. You see, I'm very good at cramming a lot of different things into a day, and others around me are just as good at filling any spare gaps. There's been some days where I've reached overcapacity. And that's where I start having the difficulties... some days, my life is starting to look a bit 'dog-eared', too!

The friend reminded me of the story of Ruth, which was fresh in my mind after a recent bible study on the subject. In these days, the farmers deliberately left the edges of the field unharvested for the benefit of those 'others' in the community. 

Similarly, my challenge today is to get better at planning, in order to include a breathing space or two. The aim is not to fill up every part of my day, but to leave some margins. There will always be something (or someone) who can fill those margins for you. You can be sure of that. If these 'margins' are already full, then you either leave yourself open to disappointing someone - or, more likely, push yourself harder than normal, straining to get a 'quart out a pint pot'. 

No comments: