I am seriously contemplating the potential merits of getting rid of half of our stuff. In most categories, I think it could be done....

Sometimes I have women that are older than me (maybe 50+) tell me that getting older is great because they spend so much less time worrying about what others think of them, and more time enjoying being themselves. Happily, I am already experiencing some of that. (I look forward to getting better at it)

I found out about this poem today and thought it went along with the sentiment and gave me a chuckle. I think it can apply across many people, not just passing lads. :)

Indian Summer

In youth, it was a way I had
To do my best to please,
And change, with every passing lad,
To suit his theories.

But now I know the things I know,
And do the things I do;
And if you do not like me so,
To hell, my love, with you!

Dorothy Parker

Great Love Still To Come!

Today as I was remembering so many things about my Gram, I had the thought that it is amazing to me to think that I have not yet have met some of the people that could love me the most in my life. Grandchildren are still a long way off for me, and I found it very exciting to think that more great loves will come my way in life.

Food For Thought

Tonite I attended a talk that a friend of mine was giving. She opened the meeting with a question for us to think about:

If you could do anything, go anywhere, have your life be anything ---with no limitations...what would that look like?

I'm still trying to figure that out. I realized that I do not do well with thinking outside of limitations. I thought that some of you might find that interesting to contemplate.

Once Again Contemplating the Merits of Becoming a Super-Early Riser

For whatever reason, I was unable to sleep last night. I had a hard time falling asleep, and was easily awakened several times, until I finally gave up and just got out of bed. It was a combination of sleep not coming easily, ideas and concerns swirling through my head that wouldn't quit, and plenty of energy to go-go-go! I've been taking some new supplements and I have had SO much more energy than usual--it has been really wonderful. But, maybe I took something too close to bedtime last night or something.....because energy isn't something I need in the middle of the night. (unless somebody has thrown up or wet the bed)

Anyhoo, I got up at 3, ate breakfast, did some work on the computer for my businesses, blogged (twice now), emailed, folded 3 loads of laundry, put away 6 loads of laundry, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, cooked breakfast for my husband and then for 3 of my kids, started another load of laundry, made my bed, got dressed not just to my shoes--but even to my BRA!! (an important detail that I've not seen Flylady address!), finished organizing the coat closet (a project started before bedtime yesterday), put away a bunch of stuff, straightened and generally tended to several areas of the house, got three kiddos up and fed and bundled and out the door to school.....and probably a couple more things I am not thinking of right now. 1 more kid to send to school, 2 more to get homeschooling with.....

It feels so great to start a day with so many things already done. (and hey--4 hours of work done right off the bat!) So once again I wonder if I should just go to bed once I put all the kids to bed, and just get up early and get everything done that I want to do without interruption. Unlike evenings, in the early morning nobody comes around to see what I'm doing, ask for another snack or drink, tattle on one another, or try to see what movie I'm watching.

I'd like to say I'll try it for a week, but I don't know how realistic that is. At the very least, it's been a good start to today.

Slow Down

Do you ever catch yourself rushing from one thing to the next, or even hurrying through a task when you don't actually need to be hurrying? I have experienced a lot of that, but have been trying to be mindful to s-l-o-w down in the past few months. I want to be a person that, as much as possible, has time for the important, time to enjoy the moment, and time to enjoy serendipitous opportunities.

Today was a perfect example. On my way around town I had to drop off our water bill. Once there, I realized that I was right next to our local nursing home. A gal from church is temporarily living there, so I decided to pop in to see her. I had never been in the building before, wasn't sure where I was going, but knew I'd figure it out once I got going.

I was able to surprise this gal, and brighten her day with a quick visit. She had a few things she was wishing she had, so I went right over to the store and got those things for her, and then took them back over to her. She seemed really surprised and pleased that I had stopped by, gotten her the things she had wished for, and come back like I told her I would.

The whole thing probably took less than a half hour, but I bet it meant a lot to her. I was just glad that instead of feeling rushed, I was able to take time to reach out to somebody. We miss so much when we're driven by the hurrying forces in our life.

Something to think about

I was talking to a friend the other day and she said something that has really struck a chord with me. She was talking about an opportunity that she had been offered to make some money from home. Most of us would jump at that chance. The thing is, she's a very busy woman and a very smart one too. :) When she got the details of what the work would entail, she found that it was ultimately lacking in value--to anyone. And she asked herself this question:

Do I want to give up any hours of my life to do this?

Wow. That really struck me. The importance of realizing that we are trading a limited commodity (the time we have in Our Life) for anything that we choose to do.

A good question to start asking ourselves as we make decisions about how to spend our time in the year to come. Is it worth giving up hours of your life?