The Challenge Of The Challenge

    A few weeks ago while I was hanging around the office at my church, Peace Lutheran, I noticed this sign hanging
       on  the  wall:

  ...And I thought to myself, This is why I love Peace. They know how to cover all the bases in a few words here.

Anyway, also a couple weeks ago during the Sunday service we were given this hand-out presenting us with a 30-day challenge to "Start Something Old",

...the concept being this:

...And the challenge consisting of this:

    On the back of the challenge guide were a list of 20 spirituality exercises to choose from. 
   I looked over the exercises, felt a surge of inspiration, and picked out five that I decided I would do:
    - Spend five minutes a day sitting quietly and paying attention to your breathing.  Remind yourself that even your breath is a gift from God. 
    - Attend an activity in which you are the minority (cultural, race, age, religion, etc).  Listen.  Experience.  Appreciate. 
    - Return that annoying grocery cart you almost hit as you pulled into your space.  It's an act of silent service.
    - Connect personally (phone call or personal note) to encourage or console someone.
    - Practice the art of noticing.  Spend time wondering what's happening in people's lives.  Pray for them.
    I figured three of the five were were  challenges more of an opportunistic nature, and that only two, the breathing and the noticing, would need to be practiced on a daily basis.  I left church that day feeling as I often do upon leaving church, spiritually  motivated and energized.
    Then I arrived home, tossed the challenge guide on the dining room table,

...which was already under siege by a volunteer project that Tom was working on for the  Boy Scouts,

...fixed lunch, did some laundry, went grocery shopping, did some bills, practiced piano, fixed dinner, worked on my blog, and forgot all about the challenge.
   Then yesterday afternoon  I ventured back into that no-woman's-land in the dining room where I found my abandoned challenge guide and guiltily recalled my five forgotten resolutions. 
    But re-reading the challenge guide  was enough to re-spark my resolve, even if it meant being like the long-distance runner who ambles up to the starting line long after the gun has gone off and the others are on their way:  On your mark...get set... Breathe.  Notice.