At the end of January, I finally joined the church I've been attending for the past five years (when I was in the United States, anyway). Rebekah and I were married there, Sara Ellen was baptized there, and I play in the handbell choir there. Membership brings a few additional benefits to me: it serves as a gesture of my commitment to the church and it makes me feel more like I'm a part of the church family. I've been reluctant to join not because I didn't want to or because I disliked anything in particular about the church, but because I figured we'd be moving elsewhere soon, so it wouldn't be worth it.
While we still lived in Oslo, a co-worked confided in me that he really wanted a bicycle. He'd wanted a bicycle for a long time, but knew that he might be moving soon and he didn't want to deal with the hassle of moving with a bicycle or trying to sell it before moving. And he'd been telling himself that for the past year, all the while really wanting a bike and missing out on having one. Finally, he bought a bicycle and he couldn't have been happier. His point was that if you put off doing what you want because of something that might happen in the future, you miss out on all the enjoyment you could have had before that future event happens, if ever.
Joining my church didn't take much effort, didn't cost me anything, and didn't have any down side. I just put it off because of something that might happen soon and I was missing out because of it. When I realized that I had no good reason not to join the church now, it was almost as if a burden had been lifted off my chest. It was one less thing to wait for. I learned that if you wait for life to happen, you'll be waiting instead of living. So don't wait: live.
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Re: Living instead of Waiting
Patrick Libert once sent me an email with a proverb that really made me think, for the same reasons this post made me nod and think "why can't I be better at living instead of waiting and worrying?". I will keep your advice with me, together with the proverb from Patrick:
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- wow -- what a ride!!!"
Re: Living instead of Waiting
That's a nice proverb. Life is about the journey. If we don't take the journey, we don't really live.
Re: Living instead of Waiting
Yup. It’s better to try to get things done than procastrinating. I am all too good at the latter, though, like how I put off buying a flat in Oslo because I wasn’t planning on staying for very long. Well, after eight years I am still here, and if I had bought a flat in 2001 or 2002 instead of in 2006, I would have made a fortune on the inflated prices.
I have decided to try and get things done instead of being annoyed at them not being done. So, instead of watching that pile of clothes that were laying there, waiting to be ironed, I ironed them yesterday, even if it meant giving up half of my “boardgaming Sunday”. And instead of being annoyed at the floors not being vacuumed, I vacuumed them as well. Sure, it’s just small things, but the net effect is the same, no matter if it is large or small.
Good luck with the new church, and the re-branded blog. The new title seems to indicate that you are enjoying life, and that is always nice to hear!