Within the last year, I’ve started listening to a podcast called The Lazy Genius with Kendra Adachi. Now bear with me, because I know that for most of us, the thought of being called “lazy” makes us shudder. The premise of her podcast is to help people, particularly moms of small children, “be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” In order to subscribe to her theory, you have to first understand that what matters to you and what matters to me very well may be different. For some of us, preparing a home cooked meal while hosting friends fills us with incredible joy, where for some, the idea of that sends them into a tailspin of anxiety. For some, maintaining a specific skincare routine keeps them ticking, while some have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about – and that’s okay!
Kendra often brings up the idea of “naming what matters.” This simply means identifying what is worth your time and energy and giving these things adequate space in your brain and schedule.
Last year’s Christmas season felt different in so many ways. There were small differences – like the fact that I didn’t get a picture of my son on Santa’s lap due to COVID restrictions, and big differences – both of my grandmothers were missing from the table as they had each passed away in 2020.
We are so overwhelmed during the holiday season with things that we feel like we should be doing. We should have matching pajamas for our family on Christmas morning, we should host a caroling party at our house, we should put up lights on our roof, we should make homemade cinnamon rolls to give away to our friends – the list goes on and on. It’s more than anyone could ever handle! And here’s the thing, none of those things I’ve listed are inherently good or bad. It’s all about deciding which things matter to you and leaving the rest.
Both of my grandmothers had Christmas traditions I hope to honor with my own family. For me, these are things that I’m choosing to include in the column of what matters to me. My prayer for you this Advent season is that you might find discernment to identify the things that matter, and the grace to relinquish the things that don’t.
Morgan Jones, Associate Director of Meals on Wheels OKC
