If anyone was wondering what happened to me and my writings, let me start with an apology. While my primary focus for my business is coaching clients, I am always trying to create and/or improve my programs, and to reach out to people whether they are actually clients or not. That involves a lot of writing and research.
I am a stickler for putting out a quality product; I hate cutting corners. That concept is at the core of everything I do; and so it is with my relationships with people. Family is very important to me, and I believe that we need to be continually investing in those relationships.
And while I am on the topic of relationships, let me add to this by saying that I also believe the relationships that we have with our animals should also be handled with care. For me, it is more than a matter of providing food, water, and shelter; they have emotional and even spiritual needs as well. The relationships that we have with our animals/pets can be as fragile and rewarding as it is with children.
The reason that I point all this out is to help me explain why I have not been writing. I simply have been investing my time in family. Children, husband, mother, pets, they all are considered part of my family; they give, they take, but they contribute to who I choose to be. The choice is always mine to rise to the challenge or settle for comfort and convenience.
When my daughter was young, I raised her with the fierceness of a mother tiger. Every situation was evaluated from the point of her best interest. I was considered strict by many, especially when tough love was practiced, but she always knew where I was coming from and that my decisions were based in love. Of course, at the time, she didn’t always agree but the older she gets she sees the value in the way I did things.
I can’t count the number of mistakes I made through those years, but I have endeavored to let both the mistakes and the successes shape me into a better person.
Also, during those years, every day I spent trying to be as efficient as possible. If you looked at my pocket calendar, you would see something written on every day of the week. Most days flowed like a well-oiled machine; I was a multi-tasking pro. Unfortunately, I also did not ‘waste’ time relaxing or resting. My joy came from knowing I accomplished what I set out to do that day, as I fell into bed exhausted.
The number 40 has a special significance. It seems to be a number that indicates change in perspective. Moses lived in exile in the wilderness for 40 years before he got his mission from God to lead the Jews out of Egypt. It took 40 more years (in the wilderness) for that group of people to be ready to accept the blessing of moving into the promise land.
When I turned 40, I started to view my life in a little different perspective than I had previously. Interestingly, my eyesight began to change, as well. Physically, I became more farsighted, and my near-sight was not as strong. My mental focus began to shift from the here and now to my long term future. I remember the day that I realized how all of this was connected; what an epiphany!
It’s taken a few years, but I am learning to accept that I cannot possibly accomplish all that I have on my list, every day. I am learning to enjoy the journey more than just finding satisfaction in completing a task. My husband is responsible for a lot of that. I love spending time with him, and he makes it ok to relax. He banishes the guilt of not being constantly busy.
And during times like I am having now, when busy is just a fact of life, I am now able to feel less guilty about not killing myself to try to get everything done. Time management is critical to making effective use of your time, but sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done.
So here is how things simply are right now, my family takes precedence over my writing for my business. I still have guilt about it, but I am focusing on the more important things.
In case you were wondering about our 3 little kitties, they are growing visibly every day. They have developed unique personalities, and are such a joy to interact with. They are sweet and loving with us, but they are little monsters when they play. The house is no longer big enough to contain them and they go outside as much as is practical.
Their mentor Smudge was killed on our road sometime Sunday night, so sometimes I hate to think of them being outside unsupervised, but they get into too much trouble in the house. Outside is where they want to be, and once the heat breaks, they will be outside cats. Until then, I will spoil them as much as possible in the house.
1 John 4:11-12 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
