Enjoying the Real Priorities
by Catie Gosselin
of WomanLinks.com
Last week was insane. My schedule allowed about five minutes of breathing
time which I guarded like a hawk. I started each day with an 'okay, I just
need to get through this fill-in the activity of your choice and things
will settle down a bit'. My focus was on getting through the stuff I 'had'
to do so that my life could return to some sense of normalcy.
Mid-way through the week, I received a subtle reminder of how misguided my
priorities had become. My youngest climbed into bed with me one morning
with his usual greeting of 'Mama, I'm hungry'. When I asked what he would
like to eat, he replied 'oh, I want something very special this morning.' .
With a groan, I carefully weighed all the options; waffles, banana
pancakes, muffins, against the amount of time before that day's 'stuff'.
During my algorithmic calculations of the Hassle factor (you know the
formula....the amount of Very Special Thing Hassle divided by threat of
tantrum if Very Special Thing isn't delivered plus Schedule Hassles divided
by severity of kid tantrum if schedule is followed without Very Special
Thing), my son beamed 'I want toast with butter today Mama!'
Okay, so toast and butter is not way up on my list of 'very special', and
it certainly doesn't require eons of preparation time. My son, however,
revels in toast in butter. He loves the warmth. He loves the crispy toast.
He loves butter....man, does he love butter!
My son's priority was on enjoying one of his morning treasures. It is
simple, it makes lots of crumbs, and he finds happiness in it. In the five
minutes it took him to wolf down two slices of toast, he felt more
happiness than I had seen all week.
I made toast. I regrouped. I simplified.
I also remembered how to smile again.
About the Author
Catie Gosselin is the founder and editor of WomanLinks.com, an online
community for women founded on principles of supporting, empowering and
informing all women. She is also a homeschooling mom of two young boys.
Catie has been a long time supporter and friend. Enjoy her other articles on our site:
Mommy and Me: A book review.
Ant Lessons and Activities
