Calendar: "Feed Travis"

As I discussed in a prior post, I had a brutal Thanksgiving this year. Instead of spending time with family and enjoying too much delicious food, I was left home alone writhing in the fetal position (sick as sick can be) while my family was enjoying the festivities. To be honest, it was as emotionally exhausting as it was physical.

Despite all the loneliness, fatigue, fever, and pain, there was one silver lining amongst all the disasters of my holiday. Sarah, nervous about me and fearful I’d probably just whither away, made arrangements with some friends to bring me some Thanksgiving dinner. Accompanying her communication of this news was a screenshot from our friend’s phone calendar to ensure I knew what time they would be arriving:

“Feed Travis.” It was a playful way to schedule a simple gesture. Except it wasn’t a simple gesture to me. At some points that day, it was the only thing getting me through the misery. I looked forward to that moment all day. To me, it was a massive, thoughtful, sacrificial act of generosity. To them, it was dropping leftovers off at a friend’s house on the way home from a family gathering. To me, it was everything. And let me tell you, it was EVERYTHING I imagined it could be. They brought a feast, and it was nothing short of amazing.

Simple acts, huge impact. Generosity looks like that sometimes……er, most times. When we share what God has blessed us with and honor what is His, it has the ability to change people and make an impact. There’s no such thing as a small gift. Each and every gift we make has the possibility of creating a ripple effect we may never fully realize.

If what I just said is true, imagine the influence, impact, and opportunity at your fingertips each day. What are you waiting for? Let’s do this!

Home Alone: Thanksgiving Edition

Home Alone is on my Mount Rushmore of holiday movies. It’s a classic! I think what makes it particularly special for me was the fact I was the same age as Kevin McCallister when it came out. I always pictured myself in Kevin’s shoes. Eating tons of junk food, watching R-rated movies, and beating up bad guys with gruesome handmade booby traps!

Well, my wish came true on Thanksgiving! But instead of sledding down the stairs, target shooting Starting Lineup figures with a BB gun, and rummaging through Buzz’s personal belongings, I was curled up on the couch in the fetal position while my family was in Kansas City celebrating with loved ones. I was left home alone, but in the worst of ways. I’m glad they still went and enjoyed their time together, but wow I missed them! There were some lonely moments and stretches of self-loathing. Instead of eating turkey and pumpkin pie, I was enjoying saltines and Gatorade. Instead of playing with my kids and nieces, I was in and out of consciousness while in a constant state of agony.

It’s days like that when I’m reminded how important our health is. We take it for granted when we’re well, but we’re desperate to have it back when we lose it. When it comes to our finances and habits, I’m not sure my family invests in health as much as we should. As I always say, we need to align our budget and behaviors with our values. If I really value health, I’m not sure there’s a true alignment. It can be a humbling moment when we realize we’re living out of alignment. I think it’s time to make some changes!

Two questions for you to think about today:

1) In what ways do you invest in your health?

2) What parts of your budget and behavior don’t align with your values?