By Simon Ambit
Go to work, feed the animals, cook dinner, do the dishes, mow the lawn, pull the weeds, take the boys to the ball game, pick the daughter up from gymnastics, fix this, buy that, be here, go there; on and on and on. It seems that we are always on the move. We try to catch up and have enough time to get it all done.
I recently heard some very simple and wise council from a young mother. She talked about how she would try to get everything done early in the week and thus allow her to create just the perfect time to schedule a family outing later on; maybe going on a date with her husband, or take her children out for a simple treat or activity. She found, however, that she had so very much to do and no matter how hard she tried, how well she planned, or how much she accomplished, she couldn’t reach the end of the list and the extra-curricular activities remained the extra-never accomplished.
This young mother stated what she had implemented in her life that has made all the difference in her home and is allowing her and her family to now enjoy more time doing the simple things together. Her simple remedy was, “Stop waiting for the perfect time to do it.”
She simply began doing the things that mattered when they were available. She found that it’s okay to take the kids to the pool before we vacuum the carpet, and it’s a good thing to go for a walk around the block and then come back to clean up dinner. It’s fun to go on a date with our spouse tonight because we can clean the shed out next weekend.
If you are like me, when you get something in our mind that “has to be done,” then by golly, it is going to get completed independent of weather, time, or end of world. This train of thought is good at times, for it keeps us on course with priority and goals, but in some regards it can restrain us from exploring the casual trails that lead to the simple and important joys in life.
This young mother shared that if you come to her home and find Cheerios on the floor, then just know, that she was having a great time with her three little rugrats. And when they get done chasing cowboys, swimming from sharks, or going to town for a $1 ice cream cone, THEN they will clean things up.
I appreciate the wisdom from this young mom. May we all take some time to enjoy the little things and “Stop waiting for the perfect time to do it.” If we are always waiting for “just the right time” to do something, we may find that we are too late. Life is good; enjoy it a bit more each day!