keep your line in the water.

i love this quote...

"None of us should be like the fisherman who thinks he has been fishing all day when in reality he has spent most of his time getting to and from the water, eating lunch, and fussing with his equipment.  Fishing success is related to how long you have your line in the water, not to how long you are away from the apartment.  Some fisherman are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for ten hours.  Other fisherman are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for only two hours.  The last type may wonder why they do not have the same success as others."
Dallin H. Oaks, as quoted in Preach My Gospel, p.152

like most natural tendencies in life, this trend is easy to spot in our children.
how many hours and hours do the whinier children spend complaining about a task that would take just a short minute to complete?

i remember little drew was certain he could not get himself dressed without help- because it took too long.
i got a timer and timed him complaining.
then timed him getting dressed without complaining.
once he figured out he COULD get dressed, fairly quickly, if he didn't complain-- it just clicked.
i don't have to get him dressed every morning anymore.

this is ME... i plan, and whine, and dread tasks forever.
todd is quick to jump up and just "git 'er done."
i mentally plan and mull over millions of to do tasks that would take just a minute to actually do.
some days, i spend so much time feeling cranky and trying to avoid children who are 'interruptions' to my great To Do List, that i don't actually spend ANY time focused on my kids.
today, i'm going to focus on keeping my line in the water!
what am i actually trying to catch?

i am a fisher of children.
every task i do throughout the day can be completed with the goal- teach a child, love a child, be with your children.
you can have your pole in the water while you're fixing lunch.

i am also a fisher of order.
just like throwing in my fishing line, keeping things orderly just takes a few minutes of set-up and clean-up.
like fishing, order is created in the home by long hours of constant, gentle effort with a few moments of excited, purposeful, hard work.
i spend TOO MUCH time avoiding housework and not enough time with my line in the water.

i repeat this quote to myself OFTEN...
FORGET YOURSELF AND GO TO WORK.

today, i'm going to catch a few fish.
because i'm going to keep that worm wiggling and my line in the water!
{i'm bound to catch something-- even if it is only an old shoe!}
have a great weekend!
this is great fishing weather...