There’s never been enough time in my day – or life – since becoming a mom. Seems like I always had to cram everything in and slowly started to wake up early, stay up later, skimp on everything including myself. People would say I was always trying to pack 10 pounds into a 5-pound bag.
It’s not a bad thing – it’s like playing Tetris with my schedule. The difference maker is the type of blocks you are trying to work into your day. The habits and practices that have developed in my life as a younger mom still carry on as a mom to adult children and aging parents. I got to see parents last week and the simple act of spending time with them reminded me of the importance of fitting together activities that are necessary and important. My work travels took me unexpectedly near my mom who lives an hour away. I needed to get my work done, I had to exercise our two dogs, I needed coffee and breakfast. I wanted to avoid traffic and get back home before late afternoon.
A quick call the night before had my 78-year-old mother ready to be picked up at 8am for a surprise adventure! She loves McDonald’s, so we indulged her with a sausage biscuit and hash brown on the way to a local park she had never visited. She finished breakfast while I wrangled two dogs that were excited to be out and about on a new adventure. I have a habit of walking them almost daily and we stop and look at everything – and many times they sit and wait while I take pictures of flowers, trees, bark, spider webs… you name it.
Mom, me, and the pups set off and we must have stopped 15 times in the first 10 minutes. As I pointed out a beautifully built spider web surrounded by yellow flowers, mom says “I never really notice all these things. When I walk, I just walk to where I need to go.” I thought of that on the drive back home. Both our walks are purposeful. Hers is for efficiency in getting to a destination and mine is more meandering and delighting in the journey.
Life is a balance. My journey that day was to get work tasks done, spend time with an aging mom, exercise my dogs and feed my belly. Weaving in the important and the urgent provided a memory and appreciation that I would have simply missed otherwise.
Look for the moments. Play Tetris with your schedule and create new memories. Sometimes, it will feel like you are trying to fit 10 pounds into a 5 pound bag, but you won’t regret the memories you create!
Robin Gough-O’Brien strives to add value in every relationship, see God’s purpose in every activity, and embrace each moment of her days with joy and delight. With four adult children, her days are now spent creating a home for her wife and two dogs, working full time, and playing an active role on the board of the Sylvia Thomas Center for Adoptive and Foster Families.
“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
– John Wesley
