Cost of Dreadfully Busy

I once heard someone say "We do what we really want to do." It was said in relation to someone saying they couldn't. Or didn't have time. Or any other myriad of excuses.

But it's true. If you really want to do it. If it matters to you. You will find a way.

Your calendar and your checkbook generally show EXACTLY where your priorities lay. We should order our priorities so that we give our best time and effort to what matters most... (Revelation 3:20, 17).

In the past I considered it very important to read to my children every night. I've often allowed myself to become so busy and TIRED lately that I no longer do this. It makes me wonder if my two younger children will have the same love for reading that my two older ones have.

We used to do a family game night...or rather nights! Every week. Just silly time to play games. And the lessons learned in family game nights can be VERY valuable. Learning to lose gracefully. Learning to win gracefully. Learning to enjoy what you're doing whether you win or lose...

Busyness distracts us from things that have real value.

I used to run a pretty reasonably ordered household. Not perfect by any means. And some days were more ordered than others. Most weeks though, we had a menu for dinners. And laundry was clean and dry-if not put away.

I feel like I've become so busy and so tired that these things have all taken a backseat. And so I become more tired. And harried. And dinner sneaks up on me every. single. night. Like I didn't know it was coming...again.

Busyness produces fatigue.

When you're too busy you're too tired. Duh. (Yeah, Nathan would inform me I just said a bad word. And "whatever" is a "bad" word too!) Anyways, if you expend all of your energy running around like a chicken with your head cut off, you won't have energy for relationships. I'm not talking about physical energy....emotional and mental energy are huge. Absolutely paramount for relationships. I can carry on for quite a while with very little physical energy (sure, not performing at my best, but I can "function" and do the necessary things) but if I'm emotionally zapped...fuhgeddaboutit. There have been times that by the time my husband gets home I will think to tell him about something and when I open my mouth....I just close it again. It doesn't have to be anything significant-just relating a story or a thought I had earlier in the day...but it's just not worth the effort. Do you see the problem here? One of my top 3 relationships suffers. Because I haven't saved enough energy for it. 

So, what is the answer? I wish I knew. I wish I had all the answers. For me, something that has helped is just taking stock and realizing that while so many things are good, not all are good for US. And not all at once for sure.

• We no longer attend every field trip through multiple homeschool groups.
• We are not participating in co-op. It did not make this mama happy. And if mama ain't happy....
• Sometimes we just stay home. And in our jammies.
• Down-time is VALUABLE. Time when no one expects anything of you. 
• Kids don't have to be entertained and drug from one activity to another. ----which is another post altogether!

I'd like to expand upon this this coming year. Remember my desire to live intentionally??  Well, this would be part of it. Time is a precious resource-in fact, for me, it's one of THE most important resources. "Quality time" is my primary love language (how I receive love, what I translate into "I am loved and valued")...more than gifts. More than being "served". More than words of affirmation. I don't want to hear that I'm awesome. ;) Those are words! Put your time where your mouth is and I'm feeling GREAT!

So, for this year we're going to see if we can streamline things a little more. Get rid of some of our "junk"!