Ssssshhhhh! Don't Tell!

I am officially calling a MHM (Momma's Hypocrite Moment) on myself tonight. As I sit here and look at the time (11:36 p.m. if you were wondering), I realize how much more I need to complete before class tomorrow. Now, this would not be SUCH a big deal if I had not just informed my son, less than 6 hours ago, that he needed to better budget his time in order to complete his homework AND get a decent night's sleep.

Hmmm, yeah, weeeellll.... I'd love to say I had a perfect excuse, but I don't. Basically, what I have is life filled with a lot of joy and running. As such, sometimes I don't keep myself as organized as I should.

So, what should I do about the itty-bitty MHM I had earlier tonight. I say if you, don't tell I won't; and, hopefully, my son will learn better organizational skills than me.

"Do as I say, not as I do."

                      ~All parents



Busy is a Blessing

I recently read in one of my text books a very profound sentiment: Instead of busy women lamenting how much must be done in a given day, they should rejoice for how many blessings they have in their lives.

Now, that statement is paraphrased, and it was not written in reference to poorer women who are busy trying to keep food on the table. The opinion was in reference to the "middlers"--soccer moms, professionals, wives, sisters, daughters--all of whom have about 30+ items on their to-do lists on any given day. At times, those to-do lists seem to be "I'm done! Stick a fork in me!" lists--to much to do and not enough time. But here's the thing, when we look at any one item on that list of things to do, would we really want to give up the blessings associated with that item?

For instance, I'm sitting here looking at my list for tomorrow. There are about a half dozen items pertaining to work, another couple having to do with school and three or four dealing with my children. (To be honest with you, I'm pretty sure my kid items will increase before the night is out.)

Now, I could cross off  the job items if I just gave up my job. Besides my love for food and having a house (both of which require money from my job), I love my work. My work is not something I want to give up, even if it can be a pain in the butt sometimes. And then there's school. Granted, papers and projects are not things that makes me go, "Oh YEA!!!!"; but, those are the necessary evils of going back to school in a field that excites me. The last and final group of items revolve around my children. Let me go on record to say that, if I lost my job, it would be hard, but I would manage. If I had to drop out of school, I'd be disappointed, but oh well. If I lost my children, a part of me would be lost, and I would only be a shadow of the person I am now. I don't care how many items end up on my list when it comes to my babies, because my babies deserve the best.

So, busy is a blessing. Sometimes in the rush of it all, it might not seem that way. And I feel fairly confident that I will, at some point in time in the near future, utter some curse word regarding one or more of the items on my list. But, in a calmer moment, I'll be able to count all the blessings I have.

" Busy is an opportunity, not a dirty word."

~Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.

Wait

I never pray to God for patience. Mainly because I know He would give me trials to overcome in order to gain said patience. So, now, I'm calling "FOUL," as my patience is being tested without my consent.

It seems, just from my unscientific observations, that I've been given a lot to be patient about right now--the same stuff I've been asked to be patient about time and time again-- and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. I mean, come on! I'm not Job! (Thank goodness since I have always thought Job got a raw deal.) So, why, exactly am I being asked to be patient AGAIN?

At this point in my life, I've pretty much given up on immediate gratification. But, being asked to wait for something over and over and over and over again is getting a bit old. I'M getting a bit old, and I need more than just the same old "tomorrow" promises.

I want the here and now. I don't expect perfection, but, dadgumit, I do expect immediacy! I'm over the "wait."

I can imagine few things more trying to the patience than the long wasted days of waiting.



                                      ~Robert Falcon Scott

Passionate

I love reading my textbooks. There. I admitted it. What does this make me? "A nerd." you say.  Well, yes. But I prefer to think of myself as passionate.

Passion seems to have made a second appearance in my life. My work and classes are exciting to me. My friendships are fulfilling. My discussions surrounding religion and politics can become heated, but in a good way. My children and their development continue to surprise and amaze me.

So, I will gladly accept the label of "nerd" as long as I'm allowed to add the adjective "passionate" in front of it. Because, at this point in my life, that is the adjective that best describes me and my experiences.

“If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of potential -- for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints; possibility never.”



                                      ~Soren Kierkegaard