Sunday, January 13, 2013

Eleven, Twelve, Dig and Delve

The time between sunrise and sunset is slowly expanding.  At the beginning of the month, I had to last from 7:39 a.m. to 4:09 p.m., exactly eight and a half hours.  Today as I type, I'm checking the sunrise/sunset calendar I have bookmarked and while sunrise is only four minutes earlier, sunset is thirteen minutes later.  Starting my fast a little earlier doesn't bother me, though it has caught me off guard a time or two, but those last few minutes seem interminable some days.  By the end of the month, my fast will have stretched to an additional hour every day.  Small things are still tempting along the way, the treats at my son's Pinewood Derby yesterday morning, my husband heating up the (really yummy!) leftovers we brought home from our dinner out last night, the chocolate chip cookies sitting in the jar on top of the refrigerator calling my name... But on the whole it's become easier to fast.

The title of this post is from that old nursery rhyme, "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe." It seemed appropriate because this fasting experiment is really causing me to dig and delve.  Especially since the initial physical discomfort waned a bit, I've been trying to dig deeper within myself to try to answer the questions that prompted this voluntary daily (temporary) deprivation and to stretch the limits of my self-control.  I'm digging deeper with prayer and pondering.  I'm digging deeper to find the patience to not yell at my children.  I'm digging deeper to find new ways to reach out to and serve others.

I'm also delving into scriptures, both familiar (like the New Testament) and unfamiliar (like the Quran), and I'm trying to help my children learn to delve into them, too.  I'm delving into personal introspection and contemplation of who I want to be, who I'm supposed to be, and what I need to do to get there.  I'm delving into an exciting, but also slightly terrifying, new situation I'm facing that requires some seeking and asking and stretching up front as well as on a continual basis.

After plateauing for a few days, I feel like some productive digging and delving is happening during this pseudo-Ramadan of mine.

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