by Carie Moore
A week ago, there were superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs, and robbers running around together. Kids and adults in disguise in order to have fun and get goodies.
How many of us disguise ourselves every day? My son was dressed as a robber for Halloween this year, and I couldn’t help but think about what robs us every day; robs us of our time, our joy, our peace, and our families. Although we can’t control true robbers, we can control what we value over what values us.
Nothing truly “robs us” of anything. If we were in a situation where someone was coming to take something physically of ours, we would beg or fight. We should be fighting against the things that try to rob us of the intangible things as well. Is it because we can’t see it until it’s too late so we don’t notice it creeping in little by little until we are unhappy, exhausted, or fighting with loved ones?
Most things don’t crumble in a day. It’s a slow fade. We need to be on guard and make conscious choices. . Hindsight is 20/20 and it is then that you can see the progression – AFTER the thief has come and robbed our smile and our peace of mind.
As we progress into “No” vember, saying no to certain things that aren’t or shouldn’t be a priority is a good place to start. Instead, change your frame of reference to “Know”vember. Know what’s important to you and align your choices with that. Choose joy, choose faith, choose family, and whatever you see beginning to backslide. It’s not by coincidence, and it’s not going to blindside you with a black mask, bag, and a lot of yelling. Many of our internal battles are invisible, but they are not fictional. Our battles are real and they steal, kill, and destroy our families, our physical well-being, and our mental and emotional state of mind.
If you don’t see a little robber on your doorstep with a bag in hand, there’s no reason to answer the door and feed it candy when there is no “trick or treat” said. In the same sense, don’t feed the robber that silently and invisibly sits on the doorstep of your life!
Moore is a mom, farmer and advocate for agriculture. Her posts appear each Thursday on OYT. She is the Dist. 4 representative on the NDFB Promotion and Education Committee.