Smelling the Roses
“The greatest gift you can give someone is your time because if you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life you will never get back” ~ Unknown
Several week ago I bought a book to share with my kids, something to read at night once in a while when I tuck them in for the night. The title of the book is Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff by Richard Carlson, and it is filled with little gems of wisdom that apply not only to adults who are trying to get a handle on life but little nuggets of advice that goes a long way in helping kids deal with some of the things that life throws at them too. One of the little stories I read to my daughter recently shares the notion that life will always be in progress and our “to do” list will never, ever be crossed off. Life happens each and every day and as soon as we cross one item off the list it seems like we are adding two more on. As adults, we try and get just one more thing crossed off the list before we leave the office, or the shop, or the jobsite…there is always just one more thing to do. Often we stay behind and try to diminish this Hydra-esque list of chores at the expense of our loved ones who have to wait for us to come home after work but the people (or pets) that care about us. As a society we are so ingrained with the idea of getting our work done before we play some people never take time to relax and have recreation time with family, friends or pets.
Work will always be there, it’s called life and the chores list will never go away. Set a reasonable goal of what can be reasonable accomplished in a day and then have the courage to put the list down for the day. I’m not advocating for not doing any work or even being concerned about the things you would like to get done, we all have our “to do” list but I encourage you (and myself) to accept that despite our best efforts, sometimes we have to stop before we’re done and go home. The challenge is to stop focusing on our lists and look at what is truly important like family. Time spent with family or friends are irreplaceable moments in which we share ourselves and create deeper and more developed bonds. I’ll never remember how I felt mowing the grass or making that last phone call to a client but I will never forget the first time my daughter launched her first model rocket or caught her first (or hundredth) fish. Spending time with loved ones gives more peace of mind than knowing that I was able to pull weeds in my garden. Yes mowing the grass and pulling weeds are important to me but no nearly as important as my kids…it’s all about perspective. The time and conversations I have with my kids will give them more to face life with than anything else I can do for them.
Take time this weekend and share your time and yourself with someone and build those memories that adds joy to your life and don’t sweat the small stuff because like Richard Carlson says, it’s all small stuff. I highly recommend that you check out his book…get from the library or buy yourself a copy, it’s all good stuff. Thank you for reading and I hope everyone has a safe and pleasant weekend. If you have any questions, please drop me an email at wmreid@bhcshealth.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this thing together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com