Category: Moments and Musings

Posted in Moments and Musings

Apartment Life vs House Life

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

This time next year, I will be happily moved out of my apartment and into my forever house – or what I hope will be my forever home. At almost 55 years old, I sincerely hope the next move will be the last one.

The last time I lived in a single family home, it was 2006. Since then, I spent 12 years in a townhome and the last 4 years in an apartment. So I’m looking forward to single family home life.

I admit, there are things I love about apartment life. Things I’ll always love. Like the low maintenance. Should something, like the AC unit or the dishwasher break, I call someone. There’s no stressing about how to pay for it all. There’s also a sense of community. At least there is where I live. Everyone looks out for each other, greets other and helps each other. We meet up in common places like the front foyer to collect our mail, the laundry room and the elevator. We talk about our lives, our kids and our pets. (I live in a very dog friendly building.)

However, there is a down side. Such as lack of privacy. Even though my complex is quiet, not many are. I still hear thumping from above. One step in the hallway and I could tell you what my neighbors are cooking for dinner – an odor that every once in a while invades my home. The building across the way makes me feel like I’m a character in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. And just last week, someone decided to sneak their laundry in with mine. (EW!)

Will I miss it? Perhaps. I love the grounds, the lake and the compactness of it all.

As always, there’s pros and cons of house life. I know there may be times when I may fret a bit over a broken appliance or a roof shingle that’s been dislodged. I know the grass will need to be cut and the snow shoveled which are all things I do not concern myself with now. I’ll still have to park outside (although, it won’t take 2 walks down long hallways and an elevator ride to get to my car). I know a house is a huge expense and when you buy a house, you essentially buy a neighborhood.

Would I choose it over apartment life? Absolutely.

I can’t wait to cut my own grass. And my Pinterest is full of decorating ideas for my bedroom with walls I can actually paint. If I don’t like the floor, I can change it. I can’t wait to decorate for all the holidays. I pray our neighbors are kind, gentle people with whom I can share a cup of sugar or some cookies. I plan on sitting outside on Halloween night, dressed as something fun and passing out candy. I dream of a backyard with a patio/deck that I can sit out in with a hot mug of tea on a crisp autumn morning wrapped up in bathrobe and wearing my birth control glasses. I look forward to long walks throughout my neighborhood.

Most importantly, I cannot wait to share my life with not just my daughter but my two sisters. God help whatever house we get! Four grown women, all very independent, strong-willed and with our own personalities under one roof. I suspect much hilarity, fun, tears, comfort and lots of food.

One last thing you can’t always have in an apartment is a garage. I can’t wait for a garage. My first big purchase will be a bike with a basket on it. I plan on riding throughout the neighborhood with flowers in my basket and straw hat on my head. You know, over my safety helmet.

Less than 300 days to go. Nine more rent payments to go before they morph into mortgage payments. These are the days I look forward to, among so many others. These days will be blessed.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Posted in Moments and Musings

The Counting Downs of A Day

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Today was day full of failure. It’s ok. They happen. My plan was to fall apart as soon as I logged off from work but instead, I decided that it’s just a day. Like many that have passed (and I’ve survived) and like many more to come.

Instead, I took a shower. I took a walk with the dog. I made some dinner (egg and cheese in a tortilla) and had another cup of tea. I drank all my water. And I chose to write down all the good days ahead and how much longer I have to wait for them.

2 more days until my 6 day weekend/staycation. I do this every year around my birthday to relax a bit before the hustle and bustle of the holidays begin.

4 more days until my baby girl, Emilie, comes home for a visit. It will be just a short weekend visit but I’ll get to see her face and hug her neck.

7 more days of being 54 left. I know 55 will be so much better and filled with so much good. There is more!

29 days to Halloween. Probably my least favorite of the October/November/December season but Shelby loves it and the apartment looks so festive.

34 days left of daylight savings time. As someone who regularly suffers from seasonal depression, I’ve decided to face this season head on. Embrace the quiet of it. Let my soul simmer a while.

52 days until Thanksgiving. I always have a vision in my head of what this will look like and each year, it almost never happens that way. It always makes me miss my mother.

83 days until Christmas Eve. With just Shelby and I in the apartment, this is looking to be quiet. Christmas morning will be quiet also. If I’m honest, I enjoy the Christmas season way more than I enjoy Christmas Day.

90 days left of 2023. I know 2024 will bring us a new home but who knows what else and I’m excited for it all.

298 days until we move, at the most. Of course, we hope to move sooner. We shall see. God has that all in His very capable hands.

All in all, from now until the end of the year, there are eight special happenings taking place. And that’s not counting the birthday celebrations.

Like a medicine, the rest of the day is looking up.

Photo by Manasvita S on Unsplash

Posted in Moments and Musings

Refilling The Glass

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Bishop’s Wife. There’s a scene – my mom’s favorite – where Cary Grant’s character, Dudley, counsels Professor Wutheridge (played by Monty Woolley). They’re drinking wine and Wutheridge goes to refill Dudley’s glass (and his own) only to find it already full. During the scene, we see Dudley waive his finger in the background using his angel abilities to refill not only their glasses but the bottle as well.

I was thinking about this on my morning walk with Percy as I saying my ‘good mornings’ to God. (I don’t have super wordy prayers with God anymore unless I’m led by the Spirit. But I do like to have real conversations with Him during the day.) So there I was, walking and thinking about how this is a brand new day and a lovely morning when suddenly, a quote from Anne of Green Gables popped into my head-

“Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

And I felt a sense of relief and peace. If you’re a Failed Perfectionist, like I am, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. It’s refreshing to learn you get a horde of brand new chances each morning. After all, we probably fell asleep the previous night after using some distraction to keep our brains from highlighting for us all the ways we failed. So waking up to a brand new day feeling like the white board has been wiped clean is pretty important. Then this verse popped into my brain from Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22-23 (ESV):

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

God’s mercy is new every morning. Every morning, there is a fresh batch of undeserved favor available. Without fail.

For someone who is serially hard on herself, I decided to let this run around my brain for a while. I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that, just like Dudley refilled Prof. Wutheridge’s glass over and over, God’s mercy and grace is replenished for us continually. Grace, favor, mercy, love – they never run out. Every time we use a supply of any of these, God instantly refills. And He never waits for morning to do it, either.

I know this might sound simple and contrite to some but God knows me and He knows how I think. I feel like He gives me these examples so my very process-driven brain can fully grasp what his Word is saying is to me. He knows I’m a visual learner and need things to be drilled down for me. He’s aware that lack of understand leads to frustration which leads to giving up.

He knows us perfectionists so well!

Think about this as you go into your weekend. Think about this as you wake up tomorrow morning. There’s brand new, shiny, unused mercy ready for you and it is more than enough for your day. It will never run out. It will never grow stale. You will never reach the bottom of the glass or the bottle. They will always be refilled.

He is a God of more than enough.

Posted in Moments and Musings

Doubting Thomas

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Our story begins in John 20: 24-27 NLT

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

I remember as a child reading these verses in school and thinking how bad Thomas was for not believing. Actually, that’s how it was taught to me. The nuns would stand over us with their pointer sticks telling us not to be anything like “Doubting Thomas” or else…..

So, I judged Thomas, just as I was taught to do, for his imperfections. I boasted within myself saying, “I wouldn’t have acted like that. I’d have been better. Done better. Acted better.” I spent years sitting on my self-righteous throne, tarnished crown on my head wondering if we’ll meet Thomas in Heaven someday.

But I wasn’t there over 2000 years ago. I didn’t see the one I called Teacher and Messiah die a violent and cruel death. I don’t know what it’s like to walk away from that experience filled with fear and doubt, possibly running and hiding for my life. I don’t know the confusion of seeing him alive only 8 days later.  

I’ve been studying this recently and found myself focusing more on Jesus’ reaction to Thomas’s doubts. Jesus didn’t judge Thomas. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t disappointed. He wasn’t discouraged. Others in that room might have. And I sure did for a very long time.

Jesus didn’t. He loved him. And I imagine Jesus knew Thomas would give him the side-eye treatment. It was no surprise to Him so He was prepared. He responded as a only a Savior would – excited for Thomas to believe and wanting him to know beyond all knowing, deep in his heart of hearts, that Jesus was real and He was alive. 

So, unlike how I was taught, when Jesus tells Thomas to feel his hands, feet and side, it wasn’t an admonishment; it was an invitation. Full of love. Full of forgiveness. Full of faith enough to cover Thomas’s unbelief. 

I believe Jesus was so full of joy that He welcomed showing Himself to Thomas. And He was thrilled when Thomas accepted His invitation and believed. 

What a wonderful, loving, faithful Savior we have!

Photo by Jackson David via Unsplash

Posted in Moments and Musings

The Work From Home Deliberation

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Late last year, my company moved to permanent work from home after three years of being remote which started during the pandemic.

As excited as I was for this decision, I was also instantly sad. I’m going to miss it. I DO miss it! There’s something to be said for going into an office, bouncing ideas off one another, seeing people outside of your home and feeling like you’re connecting with humanity. (Ya know, if you like humanity.)

So I decided to make my own pro-con list on the whole work-from-home subject. Keep in mind, these are just my opinions comparing 23 years of in-office experience to 3 years remote experience.

Let’s get the cons out of the way first:

  1. Training is harder remotely – I’m a smart girl and can definitely learn via online. However, there’s something to be said for someone being live, in front of me and being able to see exactly where I’m pointing to when I have a question. Quite often, my folks will come to be for help because something went wrong only I’m not physically seeing how they got there in the first place.
  2. Supervising is harder – Being confined to an office sure makes it easier to find that one person who always seems to be missing from their desk. Usually, Mr. or Ms. Roam-A-Around can be found either in a bathroom or the breakroom. Now, I have no clue where people are at.
  3. Lack of team work – Not being in an office means it’s harder to promote a team atmosphere and easier for folks to develop a “every person for themselves” attitude. Being face to face can often product a sense of compassion, empathy and comradery that is otherwise lost when one is secluded.
  4. Distractions are abundant – I’ve sat in countless meetings and trainings where someone’s dog was barked, someone’s child needed immediate help, a baby’s diaper needed immediate changing (yes, it actually happened along with the commentary from Mom on how bad it smelled), the UPS or Amazon person came to the door…just to name a few. Distractions often make it hard to stay on task and harder still when new concepts are being developed or discussed.
  5. No immediate feedback – When we were back in the office and I needed help from a peer, I would go to them and get help. Now I instant message or email…wait…and sometimes wait some more….and then I wait again. Rarely is any situation quickly resolved that involves more than one person.
  6. Communication can be misconstrued – Without seeing my face and hearing my voice, it’s all too easy to misinterpret an instant message or email. This happens all the time. I give information and in my head, I sound sweet. However, if someone is having a low self-esteem day, they’re reading it in a completely different voice and before you know it, the checkered flag has dropped and the argument has started.
  7. Missing celebrations – Celebrating a birthday or special event virtually isn’t the same as getting everyone together in a breakroom for a slice of cake and taking a moment for some fun. I’ll miss the office parties the most.

Now let’s talk about the pros:

  1. No traffic – This is an obvious one. Less wear and tear on my car. No more white-knuckle driving through blinding snow storms or bad rain. No scraping ice from my car at 5am or hour-long drives home.
  2. More budget-friendly – No more eating out for breakfast or lunch. (Yes, I know it’s possible to bring these things to save money but I’m including it anyway.) No more Starbucks runs for a $6 or $7 cup of coffee. No paying for gas traveling back and forth to work.
  3. Opportunity for greater concentration – If you’re able to have a space away from family and any distractions, being able to control your office space can produce greater concentration for better productivity. For me, I am able to have my home office at the temperature I like and play some classical music. And no smelly cologne from Ms. Cigarette Smoker Who Likes to Wear Heavy Perfume to Cover Up the Fact That She Smokes!!! Ugh! I will not miss gagging on someone’s perfume or cologne. My sinuses won’t miss it either.
  4. More family time – Without having long commutes to and from work, you get to spend more time with your family. I’ve had more dinners at the dinner table working from home that I ever had driving back and forth. Even getting an extra 30 minutes each evening matters where family is concerned.
  5. It’s a healthier lifestyle – Working from home allows for more control over what you eat, more time for exercise and some important self-care. Your office day is literally only 8 hours which means there’s more “day” for you. I’m more apt to take a long walk on my lunch. Or after a hectic, stressful meeting, take a stress break and spend some time with my dog. Or, every once in a great while, have a good 5 minute cry out before the next meeting starts.
  6. It’s a healthier environment – We can’t ignore the fact that working from home means less exposure to germs and illness. No more offices with poor ventilation systems turning them into one huge Petrie dish nurturing sickness and disease. I don’t miss the cacophony of coughing, nose-blowing or sneezing. I don’t miss germs flying around from folks who cannot or will not stay home when they’re sick.
  7. Less absentee-ism – This is another one that cannot be ignored. Honestly, when I was sick, I hated going into the office. Being sick was more about not wanting to be around other people and just wanting to be home than the illness itself. So when Covid did catch up with me, I actually still felt able to put in a few hours of work and save my PTO for something fun. Don’t get me wrong – if you’re sick, it’s best practice to do what you need to do to get well. For me personally, however, I’m now apt to work through a migraine that would have kept me out of the office (bright lights, icy cold temps, perfumes clogging my sinuses, loud buzzing of office life) in the warmth and quiet of my own home office.

My list is pretty much neck-in-neck as far as pros and cons go. But one pro I didn’t list has become very important to me – I get to choose to live anywhere I want. Next year, I’ll be buying a house with my sister and it’s so nice not to have to worry about the commute to work – at least for me. There is a certain freedom that comes with working remotely that I didn’t expect. I’ll always miss the office. And I hate that I find myself more a homebody with each passing moment. It’s harder and harder to get me out of the house to socialize. I would imagine I’m not alone in that.

So work from home or go back to the office – which do you prefer?

Last look at office life….

Home office!