Stacking Wood

We have a cord of seasoned wood delivered every summer to use in the coming winter.

This year, I helped Dwayne stack it and it was done within an hour.

In the past few years, I haven't helped him stack it, and obviously, it took him longer.

He didn't complain that I didn't help.

It was something we had agreed that was his to do.

I was always inside doing something else productive.

I might have been cooking dinner or reading a book I had to read, etc.

It's not like I was in there binging on Netflix while he was out there stacking or anything.

But nevertheless, as I was stacking wood this year and wondering why I had not done it in the past few years, something else did become apparent to me.

In years past, I was usually too tired to help Dwayne.

I was exercising everyday back then, so I had often "used up" my strength or I was "saving it" for the next workout or fitness class.

Though I was so strong and fit and lean, I had no margin to offer my strength and fitness and leaness to anyone for anything that wasn't on my workout schedule.

This year, I was eager to help him stack the wood and that got me to wondering, "What's different about this year?"

Well, I'm not exercising as much (and you can definitely tell.)

But this also means I had the margin of time and energy and attention to give to the task of stacking wood and chatting with Dwayne as we did it.

This is sort of a realization/ public confession/  note-to-self/ devotional entry for spouses...

We need to leave more of a margin for things that matter.  

Our workouts are meant to make us stronger so that we can serve one another, not so that we can be stronger to serve our workouts harder.