So what does a year of Jubilee look like? Here’s what I’ve experienced in the first month.
Week 1 Breaking free of external expectations for a year – FEELS SOOOOO GOOD! I didn’t realize how much baggage I’d accumulated from preacher’s kid to principal’s wife. Those roles proscribed even the most personal choices I made. Example: Painted my nails bright red.
Week 2 Releasing others from my expectations – IS SO REWARDDING! I had grown so many silly expectations of my immediate family. Old roles, old habits, ingrained societal expectations – really, whose job is it to take out the trash anyways? Example: Spent Christmas playing games not cooking.
Week 3 Keeping up the no expectations rule – IS SO HARD! Releasing myself from the expectations of others was euphoric. Giving my immediate family permission to do and be as they saw fit was deeply rewarding. Returning to the bosom of my original family was not so euphoric. I guess home is where the nest of mutual expectations are born. Example: Reverted to birth order role and became boss of the world. (Yah, not too pretty; exactly why one should Jubilee occasionally.)
Week 4 Not making a list of New Year’s Resolutions feels wrong! Even though it’s painfully obvious that my New Year’s resolutions have not made me wiser, kinder or thinner it seems wrong to simply resolve to enjoy life this year. Example: Ordered a slice of pumpkin cheesecake without a side of regret.
This is what my first month looks like:
XD I love it and I love that you're enjoying your year of jubilee so far. You're spreading that enjoyment to those around you and we greatly appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteP.S. - Everyone in our family thinks they are the boss of everything when we get goether. Old habits die hard but at least you're trying.
It has been so much fun watching your journey into Jubilee. You have opened yourself to lots of new experiences without expectations and tours of discovery. I enjoyed your chart of the first month. To rephrase Thoreau, "We have traveled a great deal in St. Louis."
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