What to do on Monday--Get Hold of Your Time

This weekend we go to daylight savings time. As you will remember from last year even losing an hour's sleep takes a small toll. On Sunday we will have to do what we planned to do anyway with one hour less. This brings me to our assignment for Monday--get a grip on your time. As many of you know, this past fall for me was difficult to say the least. With a very sick husband, a dog with a broken leg, a sixteen-year-old, and a job, there was no time to spare. Things are different now. I have more discretionary time and I am thinking long and hard about what to do with it. I am encouraging you to do the same. A wonderful op-ed in the New York Times today will give you some perspective.

Watching a loved one die is as difficult as anything imagined. At the end of my husband's life everything was magnified--especially how and with whom he spent his time. It was a life lesson not a death lesson. "Don't sweat the small stuff" took on new meaning. Those precious minutes that were left were spent with the people who meant the most and getting us prepared to live without him. So in these days since I have pondered what living everyday really means. It may mean something different for you but for me it means getting your affairs in order--know what you have and what you will need to provide for yourself and your family. Getting rid of the stress and the clutter in your life--people who bring you down, things you never use but dust often, and the obligations that quit being fun years ago. Feeling better which translates to treating your body better. And finally, reviving one of those dreams you had at 20. If it is trip to Australia, a Harley Davidson, or a new job--go for it. The last year of my husband's life we had four wonderful trips. At the time it seemed excessive to do all that in one year. Today I wish we had done four more. Time is the commodity we can give each other. Invest wisely and spend part of it laughing.

Comments

[John]

Thank you for that reminder -- and all of the lessons you share here.