Boundary Study Part 6

   "No one lights a lamp and them puts it under a basket." Matthew 5:15

  Guess what? Boundaries are more than no trespassing signs. Lives are defined by the boundaries around them: physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. 

  I will never take up more space than what is defined by my skin. It's shrinking by the way, praise God! But even this has involved setting boundaries around what I will or will not eat to achieve weight loss. Therefore, boundaries help us succeed. Right now, the goal is to lose weight. I don't have a final number in mind. My body does. It will let me know when it's reached its healthiest point.

  Gina stresses it's more important to have a strong "why" for doing all this. My why waffles a bit. Maybe it's because there's some future tripping going on. Not to worry, determination is it's own boundary.

  I've decided to have another go at writing The Art of Prayer...who am I kidding, there's been a strong pull towards the keyboard to share what I have learned. Last time I ended up getting completely overwhelmed so it seemed prudent to do some reading around how to write a book.

  Talk about boundaries!

  The most important one is to begin describing myself as a writer. This isn't something I'd even considered before despite having written over 2000 blog posts. There have also been countless poems, stories, and prayers. Most of these have never been shared. Why? Because I'd never considered myself to be a writer. It is simply something that is done.

  Who we are is defined by boundaries. Do I choose to let that definition be influenced by what I think I am not? When who and what we are is celebrated by the One who created us?

  It will take some practice...I...am...a...writer. Oh, and an artist!

  Something wonderful just happened. I felt a weight lift off my soul. Thank you Lord for freedom.

  Back to book writing...It is necessary to create a writing zone that isn't the kitchen table. It's an actual desk tucked away in a corner of the laundry area. While sitting here is still fairly new, it is and will feel more like a sacred space the more it is used.

  Then there's boundaries around how much time is needed. The last time I tried writing the book, it was done in marathon sessions. It quickly got overwhelming. This is usually how everything is done but in order to go the distance, I need to pace myself. That's not to say there's no thinking about it outside of desk time...what a cool definition! The actual act of writing needs space to breathe. So it's being broken  down into one or two page sessions three or four times per week. It might be prudent to nail down the exact days involved. 

  It was suggested to set a deadline for finishing but I have no idea how big or long the book will be because I've never written one before. If it takes a couple of years to do this, that's okay. 

  Boundaries are also defined by commitment. "Let your yes be yes and your no be no." If there's enough self discipline to get my hiney to work on time, the foundation is already there to set aside the time needed to write. Especially since this is something I feel called to do.

  It's amazing how many boundaries already exist without me ever being aware that they are there! Somehow this makes it easier to make a conscious choice to expand them or even create new ones because I actually already know how to do it!