The in-between

I distinctly remember, in second grade, thinking that my life would be perfect once I was a fifth grader. Then in junior high, I couldn’t wait to be in high school. In high school? I was dying to graduate and move on to college. Then college to graduation, then real world singleness to marriage… and so my thinking went until I was about 32.

I haven’t always been so good at the whole enjoying where you are right now business. Most of my growing up years, I felt like I was continually waiting for the next big thing. As an 11-year-old, I remember watching my friend’s older 14-year-old sister and thinking she was All That, that life would officially arrive once I reached that Age of Awesomeness.

Funny, really, because as a parent, I now watch my eight-year-old do the exact. same. thing. She’s eager-beaver to be older, or in the next grade, or living in the next place. Heck, she starts talking about Christmas in June.

We’re not always great at finding contentment during the waiting period, taking the time to appreciate the ordinary valleys in between the mountain-top experiences. But really? That’s where most of life happens, if you think about it. There’s a reason you can pinpoint your life’s big moments—graduations, marriages, births. Because those moments are few and far between. The majority of the time, we’re called to embrace the extraordinary nature of the ordinary and the daily mundane.

Needless to say, Jeff Goins’ new book The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing resounds clear to me, as a clarion call to live in the moment and make the most of life’s waiting room moments.

His storytelling is captivating and full of warmth and humor, inviting you to walk alongside his journey from Spain to central Texas (hook ’em!) to the midwest to Tennessee. He describes beautifully the journey from young adulthood to singleness to marriage to parenting. Many of us can relate to his own story well, which makes this book a fun read—it’s a personal redemption story that echoes universal truths.

The In-Between is for anyone who loves to read stories about travel, wisdom, and courage to do the hard stuff. I am thankful Jeff put into words the issue so many of us struggle with—how to be content when we live in-between.

Giveaway

Jeff is giving ten Simple Mom readers a copy of The In-Between! Simply leave any comment on this post, and you’ll be entered to win. If you’re reading this via email, please click over to the post and leave a comment on the blog.

This giveaway will end tomorrow night, Friday, August 16, and we’ll announce the winners soon after. I hope you win!