Gratitude #1 - TIME

I have been wanting to begin writing about something more than just what my kids do on a daily basis...maybe write something that PROVES I am MORE than JUST their mom and that I have an identity aside from that motherly existence. As it stands, I am having a hard time coming up with anything. So sad, but I think maybe I need to prove this to myself! What were my ambitions prior to being a mom...my dreams? Did I have any?

On another note, I have been thinking a lot about GRATITUDE lately and would like to work on being more gratious. One way is to be able to recognize the things you are grateful for on a more constant basis. I mean really, there are so many things I could so easily feel gratitude for...where to begin? As a way to kill two birds with one stone (so to speak) I am going to try writing something I am grateful for each day through Christmas... ok.... let's say, at least a few time a week (I can't commit to a daily blog!). Here's my first entry!

Today I am grateful for TIME. I know some days feel as though they fly by in the blink of an eye and then there are some that drag on, each moment focused on enduring until the next. Today was neither. I have realized with my recent addition in responsibility, that TIME is typically my enemy. There are never enough hours in a day to do all that needs to be done. I am a completely task driven person who seems to rely on her ability to accomplish as a means of self esteem. This works well when you are only in charge of you but when faced with the challenge of raising children and the monotony of being at home... I rarely feel the satisfaction of a job well done... and a job, well, a job completed. I love to make task lists but those lists tend to look the same from day to day.... partially because I have yet to complete the task and partially because once completed, it needs to be done yet again. Well, today started earlier than usual (could this be a clue... getting up early could help???) and I was able to fit in much more than my typical day. This does not mean I have much to show for the hours spent, but I feel better than on other typical days. I am GRATEFUL for the TIME I spent today READING with Ava and Andrew, HELPING Ethan with his homework, and cooking a really tasty Chicken Pesto Pannini in my George Foreman grill for dinner. I do not feel as though I accomplished much, and yet, strangely satisfied with the way my day was spent. Funny how if you prioritize your day working first on the things that really matter but can't be completed, you find a strange sense of satisfaction you can't get from a checked off list.