"I'm afraid. Most of the time."

After a bike ride around Sioux Falls yesterday, I can tell you from experience that stretching is important. Exercise is to my muscles what a dryer on ‘high’ is to a 100% cotton shirt (if you don’t do laundry, or haven’t seen a word puzzle like that since the ACT, it means it causes them to shrink). Most of my stretching time is spent trying to restore my hamstrings back from 1/3^rd their regular length. And it hurts. The ‘this-will-eventually-feel-good-but-right-now-it-blows,’ kind of hurt.

Today my heart hurts worse than my hamstrings (which is saying something). I am getting stretched. Today is my last day at Paulsen and tomorrow is my first day at my new job at Embrace. I also move this weekend into a new place and will be bringing my dog with as well (hip hip hooray!). As welcome and exciting as this new change is, I can only sigh knowing all the new things I have to learn. New schedule, new coworkers, new responsibilities, new expectations. It feels like I just wrapped my head around all of things at my current position. I have established my favorite spots to spend lazy days at my current place. Sometimes it just feels good to know what you’re doing. To be comfortable.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in the past two years, it’s that God’s first priority is never my comfort. That’s not to say I haven’t experienced comfort in the past 24 months—His peace has been ever present—but my life has been in constant upheaval. If we grow in those situations, I must have some serious spiritual stretch marks. Worse than my mom’s. And she had 7 kids.

**Mom, if you read this, I love you and your stretch marks. And I apologize for my participation in their existence. :) Please forgive me?