TIme on the Right Things
This is my year of No. My year of Only Good Things. My year of Rest.
I'm not typically one to do resolutions, it's true. I am more the type to chew on an idea or theme for 365 days, filtering most things through that particular lens.
I wrote out all of my roles recently and, without adding any extras, I lead a full life. One cannot simply write, "mother" without thinking of all that entails... because within that six-letter-word lies a litany of responsibility. "Mother" means educational responsibilities, piano lessons, doctor's appointments, routine teeth cleanings at the dentist, unforeseen circumstances, a million conversations about character, discipline, endless openings of cheese sticks and unpeelings of mandarin oranges, etc. etc.
The same could be said for, "wife" or "member of (whichever) church." Tack on any outside of the home obligations and a life becomes full quickly.
Because there is grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, cleaning, reading to children, folding laundry. All of these small things a day make and all of these small things a home make.
After writing out my roles, I realized that perhaps this year, 2018, is the year that I embrace the roles I already have rather than trying to see what else I can tack on, to the detriment of what I already maintain.
This year, we will add another baby to our home. This means endless hours of sitting and nursing along with endless laundry loads filled with burp cloths, onesies, and mom and dad shirts that didn't quite make it out unscathed thanks to newborn reflux. It's another curveball in the mix. One we have endured multiple times, to be sure, but I at least know, with this baby, that this does take time and margin. Babies don't keep.
This is my year of, "Just because I can, doesn't mean I should."
I resigned from all but one of my writing obligations on the internet. It felt a little like the death of an opportunity, sending those emails, but writing will be there another day. Another day when there's margin and I am not writing frantically the night before a deadline and ignoring my children in the process. I need not carry a scarcity mentality of, "I am the only one who can do this!" or, "this is the only time I will have this opportunity!" Because, truly, my children are
only children NOW. This is truly the only scarcity mentality under which I can operate.
So, this is my year of slow. No. Margin. Rest. Selah. Peace. Whatever word you would like to use. I don't imagine that this year will allow for much down time... but it will allow for time spent on the right things.
I'm not typically one to do resolutions, it's true. I am more the type to chew on an idea or theme for 365 days, filtering most things through that particular lens.
I wrote out all of my roles recently and, without adding any extras, I lead a full life. One cannot simply write, "mother" without thinking of all that entails... because within that six-letter-word lies a litany of responsibility. "Mother" means educational responsibilities, piano lessons, doctor's appointments, routine teeth cleanings at the dentist, unforeseen circumstances, a million conversations about character, discipline, endless openings of cheese sticks and unpeelings of mandarin oranges, etc. etc.The same could be said for, "wife" or "member of (whichever) church." Tack on any outside of the home obligations and a life becomes full quickly.
Because there is grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, cleaning, reading to children, folding laundry. All of these small things a day make and all of these small things a home make.
After writing out my roles, I realized that perhaps this year, 2018, is the year that I embrace the roles I already have rather than trying to see what else I can tack on, to the detriment of what I already maintain.
This year, we will add another baby to our home. This means endless hours of sitting and nursing along with endless laundry loads filled with burp cloths, onesies, and mom and dad shirts that didn't quite make it out unscathed thanks to newborn reflux. It's another curveball in the mix. One we have endured multiple times, to be sure, but I at least know, with this baby, that this does take time and margin. Babies don't keep.
This is my year of, "Just because I can, doesn't mean I should."
I resigned from all but one of my writing obligations on the internet. It felt a little like the death of an opportunity, sending those emails, but writing will be there another day. Another day when there's margin and I am not writing frantically the night before a deadline and ignoring my children in the process. I need not carry a scarcity mentality of, "I am the only one who can do this!" or, "this is the only time I will have this opportunity!" Because, truly, my children are
only children NOW. This is truly the only scarcity mentality under which I can operate.
So, this is my year of slow. No. Margin. Rest. Selah. Peace. Whatever word you would like to use. I don't imagine that this year will allow for much down time... but it will allow for time spent on the right things.
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