Intentional


The days speed by in a whirl of routine. 

Wake, get ready, head to work and daycare, finish a full day, come home, eat dinner, bedtime routines - all to do it over again the next day. 


The weekends provide a reprieve, but they can develop a routine all of their own and before you know it, it is Monday again. 


It is so easy to get lost in this routine. Day after day goes by and before you know it, life has changed and you missed it. 



Your look at your child and wonder when they grew up.  

That trip you planned to take, a promise unfulfilled. 

You can't remember the last time you caught up with an old friend.

Your bathroom still has the original paint on the walls, with plans for a new look sitting in a bag in the corner of the room. 


Life gets busy. I know this all to well. But, when I feel myself getting sucked into a routine, I look at ways that I can break it up a little




A Saturday morning spent with my daughter on an adventure as my husband tends to some house projects that have been on his mind. 

Budgeting out the Italy trip we plan to take, and saving each month so we will actually go. 

Sending a quick email to an old friend I haven't seen in a while - or asking if they want to come over to catch-up. 

But ... I still have to go buy that paint for the hallway.... 




Because of routine, I have found that I need to be intentional about doing anything else that would not fall into the regular day to day tasks.  This may not work for everyone, but I accomplish this by making lists and following them. 

I will literally write down: 
          - call Sue
          - plan activity for Ella on Saturday
          - wrap presents after bedtime on Tuesday
          - buy paint for hallway

But, I start small and build from there. Notice, I didn't say, "buy paint and paint hallway." This week's task is to simply purchase the paint.... I really need to do that... 


It is easy to go on auto-pilot. But, I know that to be present and fulfill many of my life's intentions, I need to be intentional about my time and where I put my energy. 

Comments

Popular Posts