Too Comfortable

There was a three week delay between mt last two log posts that has caused me to fall way behind schedule. It was my intention to publish a blog post every Monday, but my situation changed a bit and I got horribly off track. I became trapped in a place of comfort and lost the motivation to continue to work hard on reaching my dreams.
I interviewed for jobs with a couple of companies  and received call backs for both of them. I was eventually offered a position with one of them and graciously accepted.
During the interview process, the friend who had previously asked me to leave her home invited me to stay for a few nights so that I could go to my interviews clean, rested, and confident. Though I was reluctant to accept her offer, I understood the importance of being at my best during the interviews. I accepted her offer and was thankful for change of heart.
Once all of my interviews and call backs were completed, I packed some provisions in my backpack and headed back to the clearing and shopping cart where I slept. I spent my nights there excited about my new job and anxious for it to begin so that I could eventually leave the shopping cart behind. I slept in the cart for a couple nights when a friend, who had been franticly worrying and inquiring about my whereabouts, invited me to stay with her for a while. It was pretty late at night and I was heading to the clearing when she texted me to say that her daughter was coming to pick me up.
It seems that they had planned and prepared for my arrival. My friend's daughter (who is an adult and living elsewhere) had prepared her bedroom for me. She had set out fresh linens and towels and my friend was busy in the kitchen, cooking a late night dinner.
They went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their home. Maybe a little too comfortable. It felt good to lay down on a soft bed with pillows and a warm blanket. They had cable tv, air conditioning, and a cute little yorkie puppy to play with.
I found myself sleeping a lot and watching all of the movies I had missed out on, disregarding the things that I had committed to. I wasn't writing. I wasn't reading. I wasn't repeating my daily affirmations. I had slipped into a state of utter comfort.
My friend and her daughter had made things so comfortable and easy for me that I stopped pushing myself. I no longer had to sacrifice my time, sleep, and energy. I had a place to rest. I could sleep as much and as long as I wanted.
My friend and her daughter provided me with every thing I needed. They welcomed me and made me feel at home, sharing what they had with me.
My friend's daughter even took me to work during my first week. She picked me up at 7:30 every morning, prepared to battle traffic and get me there before 9am. On Christmas eve, when I got off of work early, she was there even earlier to take me back to her mom's apartment. These ladies gave and continue to give unselfishly and they encourage me to stay as long as is needed to get myself back on my feet. Though I am truly grateful for their generosity, I don't want to allow myself to get TOO comfortable and forget about my purpose. I don't want to lose my drive.
The Monday after Christmas marked the first day of the second week at my new job. It was also my friend's daughter's first day at her new job. To help ensure that she was well rested and prepared for her first day, I did not ask her to take me to work, but woke up earlier than usual and walked to the bus stop to catch the bus. My job is on the north side of the city and 3 hours on a total of 4 busses from my friend's apartment. The first bus was supposed to leave at 7:11 am and I left the apartment at 6:30am to make it to the bus stop on time. My efforts were futile, though, because the bus was late. I was forced to catch a later bus that was going the same way. Obviously, because I had to catch the first bus later than anticipated, I had to catch all of them at later times. Unfortunately, the last bus I had to take, which would drop me off at the front door of the place I worked, left before I arrived to the stop and the next one wasn't due for another 45 minutes. I reasoned that I could walk to work before the next bus arrived. I figured that by doing that, I would cut off some waiting time and wouldn't be as late as I would be if I had waited. As I walked the mile and a half to work, walking as fast as I could, getting sweaty and swollen, I realized the lengths I would go for the job. I had already walked for 30 minutes from my friend's apartment to the first bus stop, and now here I was walking from the last bus stop to my job. I have been battling sciatic pain for several months now, the low back pain generating in my right side and running down my right leg and into my foot. I was in so much pain! Because I'm grateful for my job and I value it, I did what I needed to do that day to make sure I got to work at a decent time, even though I knew I would be late.
I began to wonder and ask myself why I wouldn't go to those lengths for myself. Why won't I wake up early in the morning to work on myself; to work for myself? Why won't I push through the pain to walk to make myself healthier? Why won't I make those types of sacrifices for myself that I am willing to make for others? I realized that I had been slacking and the events of that day likely happened so that I could come to that realization. Before I sacrifice my sleep, time, and comfort for someone or something else, shouldn't I make those sacrifices for myself? I ended up being 41 minutes late for work that day and the kicker is that the bus that I thought would get me to work later than my feet would, arrived at about the same time I did.
I was tired, in pain, and I felt foolish for walking all that way. I decided, at that moment, that if I can push myself that hard and make painful sacrifices for someone else, surely I can do that for myself!
I think everyday about my goals and dreams and the promises of God. What I want, more than anything, is for them to come to pass, but it takes continuous hard work on my part for that to happen. Faith without works is dead. If I believe in my dreams and want to see them, I've got to stay hard at work, making sure they come true.