If I Don't Make Time, There Won't Be Time

Isn't that so true about so many things in life?  If we don't make time, there won't ever be time. 

We live in a society that teaches us to function with every moment packed with things to do.  It doesn't matter what stage of life you're in - your life is full.  Our children have sports and school and extracurricular activities.  Our teens have sports and school and extracurricular activities and jobs.  Our college students have sports and school and extracurricular activities and jobs and job interviews.  Our young professionals have work and meetings and extra duties and functions they run and attend.  Our parents have work, housekeeping responsibilities, carting their kids around to the aforementioned places, and more functions they run and attend.  We retire later in life, and even then, still live our lives with seemingly every moment packed.

And we feel guilty if we stop, even for a few minutes.  Our culture tells that resting is, at the very least, irresponsible, if not down right lazy. 

The more I do life like this, though, the more I think it's not supposed to be this way.  I need to rest.  I need to take time - to make time - to do things that I want to do, not just do all the things I have to do.

I want to blog, so I'm going to take five minutes to blog.  It may not be the best post ever, but if it's important, who cares if I take five minutes out of doing something else?

I want to exercise, but I have papers to grade.  So take the dog for a 15 minute walk and then get back to grading.

I want to watch a movie with my husband, but I should clean the house.  Do a five-minute maintenance in each of the worst areas and then watch the movie.

I know there are more ways to simplify, to take time to rest, and to not buy in to the lie that resting (whatever form that takes) is lazy or irresponsible, and I know that, even though I know I need to shift my life a little here, I will still get sucked into the "doing" and forget about the "making time." 

Perhaps you can remind me the next time I write a "busy" post, okay?

Here's to making time for the things we need to do for the good of our minds, bodies, spirits, souls. 
Here's to not feeling guilty when you put aside the work or the responsibility for a few moments. 
And here's to all of us - may we live in ways where we feel rested and full of freedom.