Project-Fail = Life-Win

This lovely jumbled pile is my stash of journals (and I think I've even missing a few).  My whole life is contained in the pages of these lovely books starting from when I was just 4 years old...

On Friday we found out that ldsjournal.com is closing down and I was instantly stressed. I have many many entries that are only digital and are not found in these physical journals. Thankfully, the owner of the site is allowing our journals to be downloaded as a pdf.

But then, being the organized person that I am stressed again. Some of these journals (like maybe one or two) I transcribed to ldsjournal....but not all of them! My digital journal must be all formatted perfectly, right?

Well, so began the frenzy of frantically typing up my journals....because ldsjournal will be up and running until April 30.

I soon found myself in over my head though. What I thought would be a quick and easy project took hours on Friday and Saturday...and I made it through almost 3 journals. I had to take a reality check and realized that if I worked for hours on this project every day, I might, just might be able to finish by April 30. But did I really want to spend every waking minute at the computer typing and stressing? I have worked so hard the last few months to "de-stress" my life and become physically and emotionally happy and healthy....

By the time I was driving to the General Women's meeting on Saturday night, I knew that this was just a tricky ploy to get me off course. Most of the time we are not tempted to do great and grievous sins...sometimes, very good and noble goals and aspirations can be used to throw us off balance in life. And so when I returned home, I tucked my journals back into my dresser and closed the drawer on that dream.

I smiled and congratulated myself on this "fail," because really, it was a win.

Last year, at this very time, I didn't learn this lesson. I filled my plate much too high with noble and worthy endeavors and sacrificed my happiness and sanity in the process. But this year, I didn't make the same mistake. It was a bit hard to let go of this dream, but I know deep down that it was for the best. And if we are in tune with the Spirit enough, He will let us know when our lives are heading down the wrong path.

But nothing is wasted. And those 3 journals that I typed up were a pure delight to go back and remember the little girl I was at 4, 5, and 6---and in elementary school, middle school, and junior high. I started at the beginning and that's how much ground I covered in 3 journals. I don't think I've ever sat down to read my journals and it was enlightening to submerse myself in my childhood and see my children in so many of the things I said and did and wrote...

So for the record, I'll chalk this up to a Project-Fail, Life-Win. Someday I'll begin the process of typing up my journals again...but I won't give myself a timeline of 20 days.

And as for now, I will continue my healthy, happy, positive life and use my small, personal free time for reading my pile of half-read books, planning our 8th anniversary, and planning our summer. My season of "being" for this year is coming to an end, and with the advent of summer my season of "doing" will begin. I start with 3 photo sessions in just a few weeks and our summer will blast off from there.....not stopping until the end of August.

So may you feel peace for these last remaining weeks of Spring and savor this time to read and plan and just "be" in preparation for the whirlwind that always accompanies summer...