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thethursdaythree-blog · 7 years

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February 9, 2017 • Mixtape #6: Treat Yo Self

Oh hey. I didn't mean to miss a week, but somehow – I'm not even sure how – I spent last Thursday morning in Washington, DC at the National Prayer Breakfast. It was a neat experience, sitting around a table with people of all different backgrounds and beliefs and political persuasions – praying together, praying for one another and praying for our country. The highlight for me was meeting Ben Zobrist, Cubs' infielder and World Series MVP. I unknowingly shoved past the newly confirmed secretary of state to get to him (whoops), and I was grateful no Secret Service agents tackled me.

My time in DC was a whirlwind – so much so that I failed to get a Thursday Three out. So this week, I'm sending what I meant to send last week: a mixtape from my dear friend Mary Saou. (Thursday Three Mixtapes are created by friends and neighbors and colleagues and strangers who share three things they're into. Interested in writing one? Let me know.)

So here's Mary. Her theme is Treat Yo Self!

If you like Parks & Rec even the tiniest bit, chances are you've got this scene memorized. If you don't, please, PLEASE, go right now and binge-watch the whole series. (You'll thank me later. I will accept Sour Patch Kids and Anthropologie candles as gifts.) But for real: Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle are my spirit animals. We all need to treat ourselves every once in a while. This week, I'm hijacking Brent's Thursday Three to share three ways that I treat myself every week.

"Five Scoops" _– a 3-minute sketch by Jennifer Moxley_

+ Date Night

Mike and I have been married for seven years. We have two kids who are 4 and almost 2, and life is crazy – with a capital C. Funny thing... the first 5(ish) years, we didn't really have "date night." We would do fun things, sure, but it wasn't something we put on the calendar. Enter kid #1 and date night became a thing we carved out regularly. We had to be intentional about it. It was like a lifeline for us – something to look forward to each week. No matter how broke we were, we would beg for gift cards to AMC for our birthdays or eat off happy hour menus to make it work. (Who am I kidding? We still do that!) Now with two kiddos, we get the sitter first and figure out our plans later. We actually have date night in our shared Google Calendar every Friday, repeating "forever." And that feels good.

+ Bible Journaling

Praying has been one of those things in my life I intend to do daily, but don't always get around to. Don't judge me. It's already embarrassing to share since I work at a church and faith is a big part of my life. Still, the more I've shared my struggles with spiritual disciplines, the more I find that others share some of the same roadblocks that I do.

But last year, my friend Arden shared a new idea with me: Bible journaling (#illustratedfaith). People do it lots of different ways, but here's the deal. Basically, you have one Bible that you set aside and designate for writing, drawing, doodling, painting, and anything else you want to do to process what you're reading and studying. I'm a musician, not an artist by trade, but spreading some watercolor across a page and doodling a verse has been a real game-changer for me. Now, instead of feeling guilty for being behind, I genuinely look forward to opening my Bible and working on a verse. There's something playful about it that I think reflects a better image of who God is than the strict, no-coloring-allowed picture I previously had of the Creator.

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light..." #illustratedfaith

+ Talking It Out

It's kind of weird to be sharing this, but one of the best things about last year was finding a perfect 10 of a counselor. These kind of relationships are tough to create. You have to be super vulnerable with a stranger. Sure, they're trained and all that, but there's got to be some amount of chemistry/understanding in the mix.

I've seen four different therapists in the past three years, and all have been helpful in different ways at different times in my life, but this experience has topped the charts for me. I actually_ look forward _to going (weird, right?!)

One thing that took the work I was doing to the next level was being a part of a Daring Way group that Bedford Therapy facilitated. It's inspired by Brené Brown's book, _Daring Greatly_, and she trains the trainers on how to work through the eight weeks of material. This group has a great balance between personal sharing and learning content, and it has helped me in just about every area of my life. The friendships made during those two months have lasted, and I owe so much to those amazing warriors for encouraging me to show up and be brave. They have these groups all over, and I think every single human could benefit from being a part of one.

Mary leads worship in Kansas City, MO where she lives with her husband, two kiddos, and awesome dog. Her perfect night in includes a casserole and an episode of the bachelor. Find her on Instagram here and check out her great photography work here.

As always, thanks for spending part of your Thursdays with me. It means the world. And thanks especially to Mary for contributing! If you like what you find here, consider passing it along. And I'm curious... What do you do to treat yourself? What's your guilty pleasure? I've got a fun Thursday Three next week that I'm excited about, so be on the lookout. Like – set an alarm and everything. Start a countdown. It's going to be good. But until then, love well, friends.

Peace, Brent

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