And he mentioned looking at chicken coops…

I really enjoyed having chickens. The “girls” were work, but they were worth it. Especially the breeds we would painstakingly choose from the catalog, go pick up at the post office and raised from chicks.

I’m tired today. Tired—the kind of tired when you brain feels like it has been coming off a big deadline. I have had a lot of events, and after Friday, some of them are wrapping up. More than that though, I listened to the recent Annie F. Downs podcast, That Sounds Fun, and she was interviewing John Eldredge. They were discussing summer and he brought up the things/ideas/beliefs we make agreements on. I realize I have mentioned John Eldredge two days in a row, and I hadn’t read one of his books since 2021… and hadn’t even considered that he had a podcast, so I may be doing some catching up—and I will most likely being sharing more of his quotes for a season.

I’ve been making agreements for years now. Examples: My summer is too busy, but it has to be because we need the extra money… I will lose my clients; they won’t think well of me at work; and I have to keep going at this pace, etc.

And to maintain the agreements, sometimes I burn out, and often, I limp along.

I’ve decided it is time for the agreements to go. And I think that is why I am so tired.

I know I am not alone in this. Even right now in my health coaching group, amazing gals have had agreements with themselves that are not even fair. And, even though we haven’t called them “agreements,” part of moving forward and into living healthy lives without a diet, or negative self conversation, means we have had to lay down some of the thought and physical habits and patterns, some we have been repeating to ourselves since high school.

Back to the chickens… Mat also made the comment that we just need to figure out how to get you home more. My soul longs for this, but my current season has me driving part time to a job I love doing. I love helping people learn and practice how to live life better. I love bringing people together. I love the people I work with.

And I always wish Jesus could be in many of those conversations, because I believe that that is how they can live life the best. Sometimes conversations can happen that are deeper, often they don’t. I used to say some day we might get chickens again, I just have to work less. Maybe it isn’t work less, maybe it really isn’t about the hours? Maybe it was an agreement I had made after another comment had been made…

So, what about you, what agreements do you have with yourself that it is time to let go of?

Click here to get to the podcast. It is worth making time for.

*Photo from a very long time ago when we did have chickens.