When I was in elementary school, my mom made a deal with us kids. Our school wasn’t terribly far, but, you know, it was a little ways. She said “If you walk home from school, then I will prepare a homemade snack for you. I’ll make fresh cookies, or lemonade or something for you guys to have when you get home. Or, I can come wait in the carpool and pick you up and drive you home. But if I spend the time to drive there, wait in the carpool line, pick you up, drive you home, I won’t have time to prepare a fresh snack. What do you think you want to do?” Well, of course, the homemade cookies totally won out! We agreed. We thought, “We can walk, that’s no big deal. If there’s cookies or lemonade or a yummy snack waiting, we choose that!”
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I am so grateful for that insight and inspiration that my mom had. Do you ever feel like you don’t have time to prepare for something, or time to do something, or time to get ready for something? Do you have time for the have-to’s but not have time for the want-to’s, or would-like-to’s? I wonder if we considered switching things out, and consider what we really have to do or what’s really needed and maybe we’d find time to do the things that would be really nice that we want to do. Are there things in your life that you can switch out, when you really set them next to each other and consider what you really want? Is what you’re doing right now what you really want? Or is it just something you feel like you have to do?
My mom knew she didn’t have time to do everything. She had to use her time and resources wisely. And she helped us make the choice too. So we knew what we were giving up and what we were gaining because of that choice. There are so many lessons to be learned from that example, but the one that I want you to take away is that we have these have-to’s or need-to’s or should-do’s that maybe aren’t have to or need to or should do. Maybe we can question it. Maybe we can look outside the box a little bit and see if we’re really spending our time where we want to spend our time and using our resources in the way that we want to.
Is there an area in your life where you’re doing something that you feel like you have to or should, but maybe it’s not tapping into the best that you have to offer or the thing that you really want to do? I encourage you to look into your life. I’ll bet you’ve already thought of something while you were reading this. You probably already thought of something that you’re wondering “Do I really have to do that? Wow, I’ve never considered…!” Sometimes we just don’t consider that we can do something different or switch things out. So with that thing that you thought of (or keep thinking, if you need to think some more), think of something even better that you can switch it out for. Because when you put things next to each other, and kind of weigh them, you may make a different choice, and get to do something that you consider to be better. Try it! Go and try it! I encourage you to do it.
Your Friend,
Maria
