Today I am going to get on the proverbial soapbox and make a statement on a topic that is dear to my heart. Time. It is probably one of the most important things in life. Correction: It IS the most important thing in life. And I am not talking about that time of the clock at the end of the race. Yes, that can be important but it isn't necessarily the most important thing in life. Even if you miss that Olympic gold medal by 1/1000th of a second that time isn't the most important thing in life. It isn't.It is the time we give to others. The time we spend with family and friends. The time we do something nice for someone. The time we take to ask someone about their day, to truly listen, and to show support and/or empathy. To be understanding. The time we take out of our set minutes a day and essentially give that one minute of our time to someone else. That is what counts.
We all have a million things we want to do and I am not saying to sacrifice all of your desires and dreams and give all of yourself to others but honestly, sometimes the most important thing you can do is to stop what you are doing and give someone your undivided attention. This is what matters. This is what will be remembered. This is what is cherished. This counts.
Each and every day I aim to give some of my time to my family and I am not talking doing laundry, making lunches, making dinner, etc. Yes, that takes time but it isn't the time I am talking about. That is normal time. I am talking about my time. Taking a bit of my time and giving it to my family. Taking a few minutes out of my work day to talk to darling daughter on her way to school. Yes, I am usually still entering data but I am giving her my time and my supervisor knows that at this particular time of day I will be on the phone with my daughter and that it is important to me.Practically every day I take a minute or so of my time and stop what I am doing to text dear hubby a good morning. I really don't know if it means much to him or not but if you add those minutes up I am giving him 30 minutes of me each month or 6 hours of me a year....at a minimum because I do text more at times. And I am not talking about the dear hubby please pick up blah, blah, blah texts or I am heading home texts. Those don't count. I am talking about the good morning, how was your run, or I love you texts. The above and beyond texts.
Life is busy. Life is full. And in all the craziness of holding down a full time job, blogging on the side, raising a precious little girl, being a wife, and training for a marathon I could easily say I don't have time for more. I am tired. I just need time for me. I could say my day was hard and full and retreat into solice by myself. And yes, sometimes that is okay but don't make a habit out of it. Because in all reality, giving that little bit of your time to someone else enriches your life as well. It will make you happier. Goodness comes back. Time doesn't. Humans are meant to be connected to others, not isolated.
Darling daughter
And yes, life is full. Yes, Tuesday I had dishes to wash, a lunch to make, dinner to make, etc. but I sat down by darling daughter and gave her some of my time, undivided, to talk to her about her school day. It was her first day of kindergarten and yes, she had called me at work after school and talked. My supervisor knew I was eager for the call and smiled when it finally came. But I choose to give my daughter more of me. To sit by her. To talk to her while I was not doing anything else. She may not have realized how different that talk was from our many other how was school talks that we have while she snacks at the table and I make lunches but it was different. I may not be able to do it every day but when I do, I hope one day she realizes it is different. And if all I can give some days is a talk while I make lunches or dinner than that is better than no talk at all.
Goodness comes back. It may take time. You may not see it right away. It may not come back in the form you are desiring but it will come back. And most importantly, as your time winds down you will be able to reflect back on your life knowing you gave some of your time each day to your loved ones and by golly, that is what counts.
Thank you for listening! I will return to talking about running related stuff tomorrow. Have a great day!
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the time a co-worker took yesterday to ask me about how I was adjusting to my new diet and showing empathy on how hard it is. Seriously, it nearly brought me to tears to be able to express my frustations and to be heard.
Daily Affirmation: I learn from my mistakes and am on a path of continued growth.
