Life can change in an instant and it does. An accident, health diagnosis, or medical emergency – just to start the list off.
Do the people you care most about know today, in the here and now, how much you love them, respect them and/or appreciate them?
Do they know just how much you mean to them?
Perhaps it’s a parent who offers therapy-level advice and unconditional love, a family friend who is there for you at the drop of a hat, or a friend who cheers you on (even quietly) through life.
I can go on and on … but time doesn’t. There’s an endpoint.
None of us are immune to chronic illness, a bad fall that impairs our health, or ailments.
Isn’t it worth finding the courage to express the sentiment?
To me, it is.
I hope this inspires you to communicate to your loved ones today. A phone call, handwritten note, or a hug. It’s so simple. It just takes a little bit of your time, but can make a world of difference.
While I don’t journal my time, I journal my goals, how I want to feel, what I’m grateful for right now (the magnitude is irrelevant). Perhaps take a look at your calendar and just see where your time is going each day. Can you carve out a little bit to share your feelings with someone special?
While flowers are always a win – it doesn’t have to be an expensive surprise gift. I mean, unless you feel really called to! But a genuine, thoughtful message could mean the world to someone – we’re talking frame worthy!
Emotions are easier for some to share and very difficult for others.
I respect that. I’ve made a conscious effort to be more verbal and express how I feel, no matter the day, time, or stage of life. Sometimes it makes me feel so raw, so vulnerable. Sometimes it’s a piece of cake. Sometimes I just can’t find the words, but I can write them or do an act of kindness for the person.
So celebrate you and yours today!
With jobs that take up our time, some industries insanely demanding, others moderately so, or just plain unpredictable. At the end of the day, we’re all the same. We’re all in this together.
Your job doesn’t dictate the value of your time. From minimum wage to multi-billionaire status, what price tag do you place on your free time?
What is best use of your time?
That’s for you to decide. It should be a judgment-free zone.
Whether you would be simply resting and reading a book versus spending time doing something else, who’s to question how valuable that time expenditure is to you? The value of your time cannot be measured by other people, because only you know how much that snippet of time is worth to you.
Do you take a jog on a Saturday morning so you can release the work week stress and “show up” for your family? That’s great! If you are the person that does all the planning for a reunion with classmates (some might sigh at the amount of work that is but if it’s something that pulls at your heart strings), that’s wonderful!
And in all realness did you ever feel terrible when someone in your inner circle said: “I love you;” “You are a gem;” “You are going to be a wonderful mom to our child.”
For me, it’s about removing the noise from the day. Dialing in to what matters to me, i.e. the heart of the matter. Cutting out the excess, cutting out the fat, de-cluttering my space of those things that are taking away my time from where I’d rather invest it.
I’m sensitive. I feel things pretty deeply and struggle at times just like many others. Certain days I feel like I’m running a 3-ring circus, other days I’ve got a good grasp and able to check in with my loved ones more steadily.
It’s common for new parents to say to newborns, infants, and toddlers: “Please stop growing up so fast” and “What happened to my little boy?”
In each phase of life we go through there’s work to be done, distractions, commitments, decisions, health matters, bad moods, and a holding back of how we really feel.
Planning on having a family? Taking care of family as they age? Starting a new home improvement process? Why not enjoy the now? I relish in those moments. I’ll sometimes stop, look around, and think to myself… This is such a great day. I love how I feel in this moment.
Time together shouldn’t be celebrated and recognized only when one is about to take off on a business trip, when deployment is looming, or when bad news hits the family unit.
How much does time mean to you? How much is your time worth?
Coming next: Diabetes a highly stressful disease that’s hard to cope with
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