Life Can Change in a Moment - What Matters Most?

Life has a way of changing quickly. It doesn't give you notice. No heads up. No way to prepare. Just boom. There it is. Life is different than it was yesterday.

When that happens, you begin to question your life. How you live. What you do. What's important. Where's your priority?

Recently, I had a health scare. I have a loaded family history of many illnesses as it is. Add in my younger stupid self that smoked cigarettes. It's a recipe for bad news. Eventually.

Enter a recent health test result. More tests needed says doctor. Then a biopsy or two. Now the wait. Will it be your worst nightmare? Or will it be nothing? Is your life about to change forever?

During my wait, I began to think about my life. Am I living my priorities? Doing what is really important? Focused on my values? Or am I wasting my life on stupid things?

In all my contemplation, I found the answer to those questions is YES. Yes, I am living my priorities and focusing on what's important. AND I am wasting my time (my life) on some stupid things also.

My priorities are my family, raising my kids, God, running a household, my health, and my friends. These are the things that matter most to me. These are my focus. My goals. My values. My everything.

But I also fall victim to the "stupid things" - the time wasters - the unimportant. Like TV, Facebook, random Googling or web surfing. Then I realized there were other "stupid things." Doing dishes when my daughter wants to play with me. Being anxious over a clean house before I have friends over. Worrying about getting the chores done all the time. ANYTHING that takes priority over my family, my kids, God, my friends.

People are more important to me than anything else. I'm not here on this Earth to keep a clean house. I'm here to be a part of this life with these people and make a difference their lives and have them make a difference in my life. Such is my focus, my value, my priority.

What is yours? If you knew your life was about to change forever, what would be your priority? Think about it now. Figure it out now. Don't want until it changes. Because it can happen in a moment.

Summer Slow Down

Summer begins in this house in the next couple of weeks. I know it is still May. Technically, the first day of summer is June 21, correct? Not so here. The first day of summer is the last day of school for my kids. They can't wait! And honestly, neither can I.

I plan for summer each year. Last year I hit upon a plan that gave the kids and I the best of both worlds. Lots of fun and lots of activity and also lots of downtime.

I developed "Days of the Week" for our summer schedule. Don't worry. They are very flexible.

Excursion Day
Green Day
Culinary Day
STEAM Day
H2O Day

Just 5 days. Because hey....downtime.

Excursion day includes trips to museums, play places, camping, movies, bowling, and even playdates.

Green Day includes trips to parks, picnics, playgrounds, nature hikes, building bird houses, star gazing and any nature exploration.

Culinary Day includes learning to cook and bake. My kids have baked pizza, cookies, cakes, and candy.

STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math 
This day includes painting, fort building, puzzles, STEM kits, and science experiments (oh gosh slime!).

H2O Day includes anything water. Swimming in a pool or at the lake, water balloons, or a sprinkler.

My kids choose the days mostly. Sometimes I choose H2O days based on weather (we don't swim in a thunderstorm) and excursion days when there is a special event I know they would love. And they choose a "day" each weekday. Weekends are open for more downtime or family trips.

This system seems to be the best way to get in experiences and fun without being constantly on the go and wearing everyone out. I still have plenty of time to get things done at home. And the kids can sleep in, play video games, and lay around in their PJs a lot.

When I mentioned to my kids that summer was upcoming and what kinds of things were they interested in doing, they both emphatically asked for our "summer days" schedule again.

So here's to summer! Slowing down but still having fun.

Runnin for My Life

I love running. I hate running. Sometimes I feel both of these things. In the SAME run. But I still run.

In 2012, when my baby girl was almost 2 years old, I started running. I came to this decision to lose the baby weight (first reason....) and because running only really required a pair of good running shoes (second reason....).  

So I started C25k - translation: COUCH TO 5K.  Let me preface: I had never been a runner. AND I had said consistently: I would "never" be a runner. (see previous Never Say Never post...). C25K is an awesome program to begin running. In fact, if you haven't tried it at least once, you should. You never know. You may LOVE running (see first line...)!

Fast forward a few years.....I have now been a runner for about 6 years. While there have been breaks and lulls, I keep coming back to running. Running gives me so much. 

Running is

Meditative

Prayer-filled

Time with God

Time alone

Time for self

Time with friends

A clear mind

A place to think

Stress relief

Joy giving

Fresh air

Open space

Exploring nature

Problem solving

Mood boosting

Inspiring

Calming

Rejuvenating

Freedom

I could go on. And on. The list is almost endless. Running is like a little miracle pill that takes away the woes of the day. Remember that old Calgon commercial? Running really does "take me away". 

I have plenty of friends who say they would only run if someone was chasing them (you know with a knife or something...) but for me, running gives me so much that when I don't run for a few days, I miss it. My body, my mind, and my spirit misses it. 

If you are in the market for a new exercise to try, I vote running. See what it has in store for you!