Binging Life

• Our Strawberry Social raised $500 for North Quabbin Animal Control.
• Summer Death Cafe on July 11th at 4pm (no rsvp needed).
• Discussion Circle is on the last Sunday of June after Church. These discussions are here to to inspire, teach, guide, and challenge us–all are welcome to join us (we often explore sacred passages, poetry, and other words to inspire us toward freshness, surprise, and wonder).
• Village Fair and 5K is on August 15th this year (third Saturday of August); mark your calendars. Please message Charlotte to register for the Race.

Visit our Calendar of Events to explore our upcoming dates and times

All are Welcome. If you are uncomfortable with the word God, please feel welcome to insert your own word for the divine or Mystery in your life (Universe/Grace/Spirit/Divine).

These Reflections are written to be read aloud, please forgive any writing errors. You can find the recording HERE later on Sunday morning.

SUNDAY REFLECTION:

I know lots of you remember Thursday night TV.  We waited all week for it.  That’s when the best TV was on.  We had our favorite shows.  We had the show we didn’t like as much between our favorite shows.

There were the thirty minute shows, the hour long shows, and the to be continued episodes…

They were also full of commercials.  

Some things never change.  

We waited all week to find out what happened next.    

There was no trying to find out what happened through Google or some social media outlet.  We had to wait.  And if we missed the show, we had to find someone with a recording or let someone tell us the story of what we missed (I think we all had our choice story tellers).

We talked about the show with others and if we hadn’t watched the recording yet, we stayed away from friends who might spoil it.  

We remembered what happened in the show.  

I think we find it hard to remember now (for many reasons), but part of it is that we don’t have to remember.  

A little bit of nostalgia here, but also…setting the stage.  

If we “binged” anything “back then”, it was very deliberate.  We had to choose the DVD or the video to watch.  We had to get up and change the DVD or video when it was time.  Or there was a “marathon” on TV that we had to watch in “real time”.  Or worse…we had a recording from TV, commercials and all…you’d just get settled in and have to watch a slew of commercials or get up and fast forward.  

Ahh…the good old days.  

I’ve been watching The Other Bennet Sister these past couple of months.  Although it was already complete in the UK, it was dropping weekly (these half hour episodes) in the US.  

There was a sense of excitement as one episode ended and there wasn’t another for a whole week!!  There was also irritation and some fear.  A whole week!?!  Because it had dropped in the UK and there was so much hype on social media, I was afraid of spoilers before the next week’s episode.  

It was very stressful. I just wanted to know what happened.  I wanted to get through it and know that everything turned out all right in the end…

I found myself seeking the instant gratification.  To know what happened.  And, if I’m honest, to get through it.  To find out.  To…maybe binge watch it…again.  

We’re so used to speed and instant gratification.  We can even cheat the system and find the things we want before we’re supposed to have them.  

Sometimes, it seems we’re just rushing through the good stuff.  To get to…

The other side?

To finish first?

To get “there”?

I’m not sure where “there” is.  Or if there even is a “there” or if it’s something in our heads.  

There’s this more more and more.  A rushing to the next thing before the current thing is even complete.  Next movie, next book, next thing to study, next vacation, next job, next thing, next person…

There’s so much!

I don’t know about you, but I feel all of this in my soul and heart and mind.  I find I don’t remember like I used to.  I’ve been told it’s because I’m “getting old”.  But I think it’s because we’re so overfilled that there’s no room left.  We keep adding without shedding.  We keep adding without taking the time to…absorb it all.  To savor, reflect…process.  Process to really take in and process to shed the unneeded.  We keep it all…messy and unprocessed.  

Even our “down time” is a constant go, more, and fast.  Adding.  Did you know there’s a thing called “mad dash travel”?  No wonder we return to work from our vacations more exhausted, and forgetful,  than when we began!!!  

I wonder sometimes if we aren’t binge living our lives.  

We’re rushing to get “there”, wherever “there” is.  Sometimes it’s a tangible “there” or a life goal.  Often it’s an out there “there” we’re rushing toward.  No wonder life is flying by so fast…we’re constantly rushing toward getting there, to the next thing, to the end.

It’s like we want to find out what happens more than savoring the journey of what’s happening now.

We’re collecting things and letting them get dusty and forgotten over enjoying what we’ve collected.  We’re even collecting experiences as if more is better, as opposed to the preciousness of each beautiful experience.  Maybe we even collect people, but then we don’t make the time to spend time with the people we love.  

It’s almost more about been there, done that than being there, doing that.   Past and future seem more important than the present.  

While the present moment, the now, is where our lives are truly lived.  

We’re so busy in FOMO, fear of missing out, that perhaps we are…missing out.  

We’re so busy filling our lives, we’ve forgotten to stop and enjoy our lives.  And everything in it.

And so we accumulate.  As if we accumulate more, and stay busy, “something” won’t catch up to us.  I think each of us has a different “something” we’re afraid will catch up.  But probably, in essence, it’s the same “something” we fear.  

In our running away, avoiding, and accumulating, we might not be fully living well.  We might be binge living…racing to the next episode of our lives so we don’t miss what happens, while missing out on what is happening.  

If we slow down, we see those amazing things waiting to stop us in our tracks and reintroduce us to awe and wonder.  Love Notes.  Blessings. Gifts.  We also notice the hungry person asking for a bit of change, some soup, some bread, juice.  We see a friend who doesn’t look so well.  We see the person behind us and hold open the door.  We see a world that needs our care and attention.  

Maybe that “something” we are running away from is already curled up in our lap, just waiting for us to notice…and maybe it’s not so bad after all.  Maybe it’s part of the burden AND the blessing. Maybe it’s the blessing AND the burden.  And maybe…it’s all Good.  

And, if it still feels like there’s no time to stop: Take a breath.  

Even God took a day off in the week.  God told us to Rest!  Jesus stopped and took to the mountaintop and fields…