You keep eyeing that machine you want to get on at the “Y” as it seems the current occupant thinks they signed up for an hour time slot for a 5 minute exercise. Then some turkey who talks too much (my wife is quite familiar with such a guy) asks me a question and when I turn his way to answer someone else jumps on the now open apparatus I have been waiting on for several minutes. Patience fella! Remember, you are- retired! Sorry for unloading on y’all. I feel better now.
Being watchful can mean so many things.
To a child it can mean-
Looking out for Santa as there are no presents under the tree yet
Continually shouting at your sister to not be so rough with Your Toy
Counting down the days til your birthday
Do we have enough new snow for the superintendent to close school
How many school days left until summer vacation (is there a pattern occurring?)
When does the oven timer go off on Mom’s chocolate chip cookies
To an adult it can mean-
When will that coffee maker finish brewing! It never takes this long! Hags, focus on the pretty sunrise.
Watching your child or grandchild in a performance and they desperately yearn for your approval
Waiting on a phone alert that an airline ticket price has dropped or the stock you want finally hit your buy window
Straining to see the game clock to run out as your Steelers have a narrow lead but your defense leaks like a sieve
Will your boss finally give you the promotion and raise you have worked your tail off for the last 24 months
When does the oven timer go off on my Wife’s raisin molasses cookies
All of the above can be important to the individual in the physical sense but I reached out to my understaffed research department to encompass all avenues. “Google” includes such words in its definition of watchful as “vigilance, attentiveness, readiness/preparedness, discernment and self-examination.” Since I have unlimited experience in bad habits I thought I would chime in with the following take. Discipline is a lifelong personal trait that I long for but it is continually taking additional vacation days. I do know that every day I am faced with free will and the option of choosing right from wrong and dissecting if what I am being told is true or not. So now that I survey the data I realize how important it is to stay alert and eclipse AI by doing my own discerning. Being tempted and deceived is not only true of Internet scams but of many other initially attractive opportunities that come our way. We need to be watchful.
To stay up to date, another way to look at is a play on the word. My (smart) watch is full. This can simply mean I need to free up storage on my device. The translation to me is get rid of all the clutter that is taking up too much of my valued time. Discipline decided to punch in.
In getting back to this joyful time of year, the grandest watch party of them all occurred over 2000 years ago. The three wise men were forever watchful of that special star that guided them to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus Christ. It sure makes me want to pull out the Good Book for the rest of the story.
We have all been told at some point, if you are going to start something new, take baby steps. I started memorizing some Bible verses. This short one is easy to remember and its content incredibly powerful.
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Merry Christmas!