{"id":166,"date":"2010-10-05T10:11:18","date_gmt":"2010-10-05T15:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ipsinaction.com\/ips\/?p=166"},"modified":"2024-06-20T15:48:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:48:22","slug":"attending-restlessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/?p=166","title":{"rendered":"Attending To Our Restlessness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>by <a href=\"http:\/\/luc.edu\/ips\/About_facultystaffHo.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ryan Hoffmann<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ipsinaction.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IPS<\/a> Enrollment Advisor<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you visit a bookstore what section do you gravitate towards?<\/p>\n<p>Fiction? History? Religion? Travel?<\/p>\n<p>Where do you find yourself? What is it you enjoy discovering \u2013 that which you just can\u2019t get enough? That which you can\u2019t can\u2019t\u00a0<em>not<\/em> do?<\/p>\n<p>While we all attend to our deepest desires and callings differently, there exist manifestations of where we lean in the everyday all around us.\u00a0 What topics catch our attention? What issues or topics beg for expression in and through our work? What is it we dream about? Underneath the \u201chave to\u2019s,\u201d what is it I want to do with this one life?<\/p>\n<p>These may be helpful prompts.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are 5 things you used to enjoy doing?<\/li>\n<li>What are 5 silly things you would like to try once?<\/li>\n<li>What are 5 things you personally would never do that sound fun?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As the Enrollment Advisor at the <a href=\"http:\/\/luc.edu\/ips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Institute of Pastoral Studies<\/a> (IPS) I\u2019ve assisted prospective students who want to delve deeper into theology and ministry and sort out these types of questions.\u00a0 Many speak of a restlessness, a burning feeling nudging them to explore where their \u201clife trajectory\u201d may be pointed.\u00a0 To be sure, feelings of anxiety and fear abound.\u00a0 If living into the depth of our questions, and trusting that something is out there calling me beyond myself were easy, it wouldn\u2019t need attention or inner accompaniment.\u00a0 Instead, we set out on a journey, like many before us, in search of meaning and purpose.<\/p>\n<p>For those currently discerning a restlessness \u2013 something tugging and pulling and nudging \u2013 often times exploring who we are in community is helpful.\u00a0 Seeing, hearing, touching, and just\u00a0<em>sensing<\/em> in a supportive environment can \u201cbreak through\u201d the noise and confusion of what is lurking beneath.\u00a0 At IPS we encourage those reflecting on ministry and theology, and a calling to work in these fields, to participate in an open house to \u201cfill in\u201d whether or not this is where your restlessness points.\u00a0 It may.\u00a0 It may not.\u00a0 What\u2019s important is gauging whether our questions are affirmed, perhaps even being able to acknowledge or identify a sense of consolation.\u00a0 If the opposite happens you\u2019ve discovered a lot about yourself, too.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Your story is a part of a larger story \u2013 the human story.\u00a0 We tend to take our lives too seriously, as if one single event or choice can define all that we are.\u00a0 Yet, it\u2019s important to step back and have fun, aware that the journey itself is what is important.\u00a0 Have more\u00a0<em>fun<\/em>, try on these questions.\u00a0 \u00a0Don\u2019t overthink.\u00a0 What, if anything, arises?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>My favorite childhood toy was \u2026<\/li>\n<li>My favorite childhood game was \u2026<\/li>\n<li>The best movie I ever saw as a kid was \u2026<\/li>\n<li>I don\u2019t do it much but I enjoy \u2026<\/li>\n<li>If I could lighten up a little, I\u2019d let myself \u2026<\/li>\n<li>If I weren\u2019t too late, I\u2019d \u2026<\/li>\n<li>The amount of money I spend on treating myself to entertainment each month is \u2026<\/li>\n<li>If I weren\u2019t so stingy with my creative self, I\u2019d buy him\/her \u2026<\/li>\n<li>Taking time out for myself is \u2026<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019m afraid that if I start dreaming \u2026<\/li>\n<li>I secretly enjoy reading \u2026<\/li>\n<li>If I had a perfect childhood I\u2019d grown up to be \u2026<\/li>\n<li>If it didn\u2019t sound too crazy, I\u2019d write or make a \u2026<\/li>\n<li>My most cheer-up music is \u2026<\/li>\n<li>Learning to trust myself is probably \u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We may find ourselves rummaging through books in a bookstore or surfing for books online.\u00a0 As we know, we learn a lot from others.\u00a0 In the end, though, it\u2019s the story you right yourself that matters.\u00a0 You self- author your own journey and cultivate your own path.\u00a0 What story lies ahead for you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Ryan Hoffmann, IPS Enrollment Advisor When you visit a bookstore what section do you gravitate towards? Fiction? History? Religion? Travel? Where do you find yourself? What is it you enjoy discovering \u2013 that which you just can\u2019t get enough? That which you can\u2019t can\u2019t\u00a0not do? While we all attend to our deepest desires and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/?p=166\"> read more <span class=\"meta-nav\"><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4945,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/4945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}