24 Hours

I had an epiphany the other day.  I was almost mad at myself for not coming to the conclusion sooner.  I was looking at my calendar as Kevin and I were discussing our upcoming week.  I looked a few weeks ahead and saw some BIG weeks.  Things to get done, places to be, celebrations to be had.  All fun things, all good things, all things I really, truly want to do.  And then I realized I might not be able to do them all.  There might not be enough time to do all the things and foster family relationships at home.  I only have 24 hours in day and it just isn't enough to do everything I want to do right now. (Anyone else??!!)

Then my epiphany came...everyone has 24 hours in a day.  I'm not the only person looking at the calendar thinking there aren't enough hours in a day. Others are doing this, too.  My neighbors, friends, parents, my barista (unless she's in college because let's be real, there is a plethora of time during those years), my in-laws, our mail man, my sweet husband.  They all have 24 hours, just like me.  We all get to choose what to do with those 24 hours we are given everyday.  

I get to choose what my 24 hours looks like each day. It's up to me.

As I looked and debated and went back and forth about what to say 'yes' to and what to let go, I decided I needed to set some boundaries.  I need to make decisions within the lens of what matters most to me during this season.  As I processed this, being present with my family came first, along with my relationship with God, and loving my extended family and my girlfriends.  I also thought about my passion for women in the trenches of motherhood.  I decided I needed to work on cutting out anything that wasn't within the scope of those things.  Use my 24 hours for the things that mean the most to me, especially in this full season with three littles at home.  

As I journey to this goal of only doing things that are of high priority to me, some things will fall to the wayside.  I don't need to be spending time on social media as much, I need to be spending time writing about my passions more.  I don't need to be spending time worrying about what Suzie thinks of me because I said 'no' to a request (a request that was good and needed, by the way), I need to be investing in my family more.  I don't need to be filling our calendar to the brim, but instead leave some margin to breathe.

  

My patient husband would say I have a long ways to go on this, but I want to take steps in the right direction.  I want to be in charge of the 24 hours I am gifted each day and use it for the purpose God has called me to.  I want to live in the everyday, in the simple moments, the meaningful minutes and hours that make up my time at home with my children and my husband.  I want to choose how my 24 hours look and not let it get decided by others. I want to make my 24 hours count.