Living the List

Well, it happened this week. I lost the balance. I had to spend way too much time on work, the kids went berserk, the dishes and laundry piled up, and somehow my "me time" just got lost in the shuffle. Balance lost.

And, I'm not sure if it's the heat or the two kiddos ages 5 and under running around the house, but man-oh-man is summer LONG!

So, my solution as of the last few days (I'll let you how it goes) is to re-focus back on the basics. What are my priorities? It's so easy to make the list (don't we all have the list?) of what comes first, what comes second, etc., etc. But, why is it so hard to actually PUT the priorities in order in our lives?

Can we really live out our Priority Lists?

I spent some time over the weekend really thinking about this, and actually re-thinking what my priorities are, especially now that the kids are older, I'm working more, my parents are aging, my friends are more distant as we get more and more involved in our kid's activities and less involved in our long lost play groups together. Boy, do I miss the days of play groups - life was so simple then! Many of these priorities require a greater, or just a different, effort than they did even just a year or two ago.

So, it's come down to this for me. Each minute of each day I have to make choices. This morning, I chose to take 10 minutes to write in this blog. It's good for me (vital for me) to think, write, vent. On my list of priorities, "Me Time" comes about 5th down the list after God, Husband, Boy Child, Girl Child, then Me, then Work. (OK, let's face it - sometimes it's Work, then Me.) This order of priorities might not be ideal for some people, but it's what works for me right now in the life of our family.

The kids are playing pretend "airplane trip" while I'm writing, but in a few minutes I'll need to focus on them, play a game, dress a baby doll, replace some batteries. I'll make the choice at that moment to close my laptop lid, unplug myself and plug back into my kids. Then, a little while later, I'll need to plug myself into the sewing machine...

And so it goes, having a quick think about my priority list, making choices, performing to my very best potential in the role that is required for that very moment, and then choosing again.

I think I can do this, I know I can do this, I AM doing this.

I just need to do it again tomorrow.


"My help comes from the Lord..." Psalm 121:2