Can you list 5 things you can be happy about right now? If we each sat and thought about it, we could probably come up with more than 5. Here are a few things I am happy about this minute.

A wonderful husband.
Amazing children that teach me something every day.
The beautiful colors of Fall.
Hitting all green lights this morning.
A lunch date with friends.
Warm water. (Not something you usually think about, but you really miss it when it’s gone!)

Its easy to focus on the things that go wrong but we often forget to take notice of the things that go right. So, what about you? What are you happy about today?

“When things calm down, I will have time for…”

Have you ever said this, or maybe thought it?  I hear it commonly, and I will admit to occasionally pushing things off because I feel too busy.  However, the real truth is things are probably always going to be busy.  My kids and husband need things from me, there is always “work” to do, and something is always going to be happening that is outside of my control. 

If we are too busy right now to meet a friend for lunch, go on a family picnic, or visit our parents; when will we have time?  And, when we do have time, will it be too late to do the things we want?  The fact is, our kids will grow up, our friends sometimes move away, and we do not know how long we have before the people we love are taken from us.  

It’s been said that when people look back on their lives they don’t remember work or social obligations; but instead, the memories they made with family and friends.  If work, or other social obligations you have committed yourself to, are keeping you from spending time on the more important things in life , maybe it’s time to reassess whether or not you really need your hands in so many different baskets.  That way if a friend suggests lunch, you can meet at your favorite restaurant!  Oh, when your mom calls next, don’t try to get off the phone so quickly!

A friend’s husband just took 3 weeks off work.  She works from home so this quite dramatically upset her daily routine.  She felt like she was missing out or guilty if she wasn’t taking advantage of the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with him, but she desperately needed her alone time to get things done.  Not just work things, but grocery shopping, cleaning, and her “me time” are things she is used to doing throughout the week when he is at work. 

At the end of week one she was feeling frustrated.  By the end of week two she was happy to let him go golfing or fishing alone.  She realized that needing her alone time to get things done was OK because he needed his alone time also.  Surprisingly enough, he appreciated that she wanted to go with him fishing and golfing but looked at it as his time to relax. By the end of week three she had learned how to manage getting things done while he was out enjoying his time off and they spent a considerable amount of time doing things together.  Now, she’s not sure she wants him to go back to work. 

We all need alone time.  Whether it’s to sit and read a book or, like my friend, to get all your ”to-do’s” completed, alone time is important to keeping a balance in your life.  So, what about you… do you get enough alone time? 

Volunteering can be rewarding in many ways.  We all want to help but sometimes we get so bogged down with helping others that we leave no time for ourselves.  So, is there an art to saying no?  That I don’t know, but here is a trick I have learned.  When asked to help/host/organize/do a lot of work for no pay, don’t give an immediate answer.  Let the person or organization know that you are interested but you need to check your schedule to make sure you can give it your all.  Even if it is something you would really like to be a part of, take some time to think it through.  If you really want to help (you weren’t just feeling guilty and put on the spot), and you have the time, your answer will still be yes in the morning.  However, you may remember the other 3 volunteering obligations you committed yourself to once you get home and realize you really don’t have time this month to help anyone else.   That being said, people generally find time for things that are important to them.  So, if you feel like you can’t say no, remember that you are important too!