With Bri Weekly | Week 10
I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between slowing down and standing still.
For most of my adult life, busy was normal. There was always a meeting, a deadline, a problem to solve, somewhere to be, or someone who needed something from me.
When that rhythm suddenly changed, part of me started to read the extra space as not doing enough.
This week challenged that.
I completed a devotional called Dealing With the Deeper Problem, and one thought kept coming back: this slower season is letting me see things I could not see when I was moving so fast.
More time with my kids.
More time with my mom.
More space for my faith.
One of the first things this devotional reminded me of was simple:
God is thorough.
Sometimes what feels like something being removed is also creating room for something I could not see before.
I am not going to turn outgrowing a role into a perfectly packaged “everything happens for a reason” lesson.
I still want the next opportunity.
I am still applying.
I am still figuring out what comes next.
I can hold all of that and still acknowledge what this season has given me while I wait.
This week was a pretty good example.
I rested more than once, and not because I had some big plan to reset.
It just happened.
I had nothing else to do.
I binged TV because the day was open, and that slower rhythm actually continued throughout the week, even between the things I needed to get done.
Rest turned out not to be the same as disappearing.
My view, most nights.
Every slow day still seemed to end with me in the bleachers. One night for Kyle’s game. Another for Kalialani’s game, and yet another night with Karter and Kyle both playing at the same time.
From that rest, I poured.
I started one morning at a card show, then went trick or treating with my best friend since second grade and our kids.
There was virtual church, more card show shenanigans, a home cooked meal, a card break, and some much needed alone time with my boyfriend.
I spent time with my mom.
I also took a call from a close sorority sister who had called me for advice, and she ended up giving me space to talk through some things of my own too.She got my honesty, my own scenario included. Hopefully I still helped her. 😂
The small anchors held all week too.
I made it to the gym, including the day when getting out of the car felt like the entire battle.
Thirty one minutes later, I had still done it.
I kept showing up for my water goal too. First 33 ounces. Then 33 again. Then 49. Then 49 again.
Small wins, but mine.
I also spent time building. I planned and scheduled Think With Bri across my platforms, and I started building my kit, Put Yourself on the Calendar, around one simple idea:
Put yourself on the calendar too.
The irony is not lost on me that it took an entire season of my life to really understand that. 😂
Then life gave me a very literal reminder that plans can change quickly.
One night, in front of my house, I was in a car accident.
Thankfully, everyone involved was okay.
What remained for me was a popped tire, an insurance claim, roadside assistance, Mavis, and $178 I was not planning to spend.
By one p.m. the next day, it was handled.
I voted.
I got the laundry done.
I made it to the kids’ activities.
That laundry actually meant something to me. I had decided before the accident that I was going to get it done. Life threw something unexpected into the plan, and instead of abandoning everything, I adjusted.
That feels like a pretty accurate description of this season.
Adjusting.
Not controlling every detail. Not pretending unexpected things do not happen.
Just learning how to keep the commitments that matter while giving myself permission to change the route.
One line from the devotional stayed with me enough that I shared it to my Stories:
“You are not defined by what you have done. You are defined by Whose you are.”
That one hit.
When you have spent years being known for what you can accomplish, manage, build, fix, and lead, it takes real work to separate what you do from who you are.
Maybe that is part of what I am learning right now.
My calendar can be less packed and my life can still be full.
I can watch TV and still be moving forward.
I can spend an afternoon with Mom and still be ambitious.
I can sit at my kids’ games and still be building toward something.
I can rest and still be productive.
I can be between titles and still be me.
Slowing down does not mean I am standing still.
Some of the most important things happening in my life right now probably will not show up on a résumé, a paycheck, or a productivity tracker.
That does not make them any less valuable.
Maybe this season is not asking me to do more.
Maybe it is teaching me to notice more.
With Bri, it’s a vibe.