As I was washing dishes last night after dinner and I thought back to our first couple of apartments that did not have disposals or dishwashers. At that moment as I was clearing plates off into my sink and sending stuff right down the disposal I was so grateful to have that *non-essential* appliance. The thought occurred to me that there are many things in my life that I have now that I previously lived perfectly happily without. I wondered if I could go back to life without these conveniences.
My mind then turned to our Relief Society lesson from today. We talked about ways to keep the Savior as the center of our lives. One of the quotes talked about how we need to break our lives down, put the Lord first and then fill other things in after we have done everything that the Lord has asked us to do. It is amazing how much time we dedicate to non-essential things in our lives and we then wonder why we can't fit it *all* in.
I then came to the conclusion while doing my dishes that there are many things in my life that I love (like my DVR) and I think that they are so helpful but in fact they probably do more harm than good. When we need to, we can live on pretty much nothing, but the moment we have a bit of excess it seems to disappear and I don't know how. This makes me realize that when I am not paying attention, my life gets filled with fluff - basically empty calories that don't really add anything to my life or the well being of my family. It isn't necessarily bad to each chocolate, but if the percentage of chocolate continues to increase and good, healthy food decreases, we are left wanting.
The days that I spend on the floor playing with my girls, letting the dishes and laundry pile up are often the best of the week. When I get into crazy, busy mode I usually get frustrated by the smallest things and *have no time* to read a book or play a game with Ali. I truly love the words of the our dear prophet and the apostles that teach us that life is all about balance. Learning to take it all in, prioritize and execute is a life long lesson. There are so many wonderful ways we CAN fill our days, but learning what we can do WITHOUT is the hard part.
Toning things down is not in my nature. I have been having growing pains lately with learning to grow up and take my life to a new level. I need to be better. This is always on my mind. I know that as I strive to come closer to the Lord everything in my life will be improved. Here's to hoping for success!
3 comments:
great thoughts. thanks for the advice and example. love you.
Amen. I found myself wishing this morning that I was two people. Two more capable, more patient, more organized people. I wish I could be a good mom, a good friend, a good instructor, a good housekeeper, a good mender, a good crafter, a good photographer.....wow. I should probably stop there. There are so many things I want to do. Time allows for so few of those things. That's our great challenge right?
you are always full of great advice and words of wisdom to help me strive to be better. thanks. loves.
Post a Comment