For the past several years, I've set goals for the summertime to keep myself industrious and to remain purposeful. For the first four summers after I started teaching, I played soccer in a class at my local community college every day; and the last three summers, I've gone to Haiti with a local church, ending last summer by teaching summer school in Boston. This summer, I've decided not to commit to any serious activity. Instead, I plan to set small daily goals. These, I believe, will allow me the rest I hope for, while still keeping me purposeful. I don't know how the summer will unfold, but I do know that it will do so day by day. We'll see whether where my no-plans plan leads. I hope it leads somewhere pleasant. Thanks for reading.
*Note: In the following post, I am heavily influenced by a pastor named Bob Shirock. Specifically, Shirock writes about Solomon's response to the pleasures he experienced in life in Ecclesiastes, and observes that we can enjoy pleasures in life if we accept them as God's gifts, and if we express our gratitude in their enjoyment. He cites Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 and 1 Timothy 4:1-5. I’ve noticed something about pleasure: the highs can be followed by lows. This sounds obvious, but what I mean is that times of joy and fun in life's pleasures are wonderful, and can lift your spirits for a time, but they can be followed by a disappointment that comes from the realization that they are short-lived and will not satisfy us in the long-term. I’m calling this a pleasure hangover. We gain happiness for a time, but see that this happiness is temporary. We therefore feel a subsequent low that leaves us still longing. It reminds me of a theme in the life of C.S. Lewis: sehnsucht , or a wist...
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