It’s time! One of my goals on this journey was to start a blog and share more of my experiences with you. I kept finding excuses for why I haven’t fulfilled this dream yet and I kept pushing it out of my mind. But that little voice in my head kept encouraging me to start writing, so here we are. I want to introduce you to real people I meet along the way. I want to share stories to inspire you and to encourage you. I also want to share ideas that make you think deeper about the world and the people you share it with. I want to share hope, love, truth, joy, and faith. Our journey together has only begun!
Each month I plan to share a specific word with you – something to focus on and think about. The first word is TIME. Our time is so precious and so valuable. The clock doesn’t stop for anything and we can’t rewind any situation and do it again or have a second chance. When we really start to appreciate the value of time, we start to value the time we spend.
This past month, I was lucky enough to speak with various groups of women and we discussed the value of time. The first group I spoke to was made up of more than 300 women in Omaha, Nebraska. I also spoke to a group of women in Storm Lake, Iowa. The highlight of the past month was speaking to a MOPS group in Brookings, South Dakota. My daughter was in attendance and she is the mother of two incredible children. Being a mother myself, it is an entirely new experience to watch my own children raise their babies. Watching Alexandra’s journey as a mother, I oftentimes flash back to when my own children were little and how much of my time I devoted to them. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world, and I oftentimes wish I could go back to the days when my children were little. That time is so precious and it goes by so fast.
As women, especially mothers, we make sure everyone around us is taken care of first and then if we have any time left, we take care of ourselves. But this is so backwards. If we take that time to care for ourselves first – mentally, emotionally, and physically – we will be in much better shape to care for everyone around us. You can’t drink from an empty cup. In the same sense, you can’t care for others if you don’t have any energy to give them.
This time we spend focusing on our own health is not only meant for eating a nutritious meal or getting enough sleep. It goes so much deeper than that. Those things are important, and they should always be a priority in our lives. But mental health and emotional health are critical for overall health. We need to take time to relax, time to enjoy an activity or a hobby that we love, time to meditate and pray, and time to be still. We walk away feeling refreshed and recharged, ready to face the world.
This doesn’t have to be a big chunk of time every single day. Make it a habit and make it something you can easily achieve most days. If that means you get up 15 minutes earlier to meditate or exercise, then take that time for yourself! Do something you ENJOY during that time. If that means you sit in the stillness and enjoy a cup of hot coffee, you start your day having given yourself a moment to breathe and to channel your energy and positivity.
The time we have is measured and it is finite. It will run out at some point. We can’t grow time on a tree and we can’t create time in a factory. The clock is ticking. How will you make each second count?
