Taking Time

School has started. So has dance class and grad classes. Gymnastics has increased to sometimes 12 hours a week. In a household with two teacher parents, this time of year hits like a flash flood, landslide, avalanche, you get the point. It takes us from a slow lackadaisical existence and flings us straight into the grind.

In the past month, every one of us has had a moment of anxiety over the idea that we don't have enough hours in our day to just get lost in an unstructured abyss of something we love. We have always lived by the rule that you must make time for the important things. With our schedules busier than ever, it feels more like we are taking time rather than making time. The difference is that taking time feels more intentional than simply rearranging our schedule. It means excluding things from our lives that we do by habit instead of intention. Taking time means saying no.

No, I'm not going to work for the after school program this year. I am going to use that extra hour to drive to an open country trail and go for a recharging run. Nope, I am not going to spend time on my homework tonight. I am going to go to that really cool outdoor concert with my mom. No, we aren't going to dedicate an hour to meal prep and eat at home. We are going on a hike and dinner will be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and whatever portable food we can throw into a bag in the next 5 minutes. No, we will not sit and watch everyone's lessons. These lessons are because you love them, not because you are showing off for us. Instead, we are going to grab some coffees and baked goods and read for fun or people watch at the local coffee shop until your lesson is over.

Our in the grind daily life takes extreme focus. We work towards specific goals that are important and necessary. But it is just as important for us to step back and unravel. Taking time in small amounts allows us to step out of the grind and revitalize, so when we jump back in the grind we are able to see why we initially chose our activities, jobs, classes, etc., in the end, making them feel more like engagements than obligations.