Time Will Not Wait

Time and tide wait for no one.

Geoffrey Chaucer

December 9, 2019

As of this moment, Alexa and I have calculated that there are 23 days left to wrap up any loose ends and step into 2020 on a strong and “right” foot.

368 hours – that seems like a lot of time, doesn’t it?

Then, I pray. I ask for You to be with me and guide me as I prioritize and focus on the “right” things while still preparing for the baby Jesus.

Another countdown.

Well, here we are—another countdown—a countdown to complete “something” with the hopeful end result of improvement—another path to greatness, if you will.

Earlier this year, you helped with the countdown to my big 5-0, and we celebrated together—along with a few others celebrating big iconic Anniversaries this year as well!

And here we are again!

During this time of year, many young children from around the world will be counting down to a very special day when the Big Guy in the red suit comes down their chimney.

At the same time, many adults are also counting down to having some well-deserved time off over their holiday break.

And me?

At this time of year, I like to think that I can freeze time.

Please queue Heidi’s sidebar.

One special way children like to countdown to Christmas is by using an Advent Calendar.

One year, I purchased this super cute wooden calendar with a little door for each day. I also purchased all the yummy treats to place inside each door.

Well, I get it home, begin to set it up, and quickly realize that the door for each day is super tiny—so tiny that barely four M&Ms could fit!

What was I to do?!?

I quickly reached deep inside the creative section of my brain and came up with the fun idea of placing a “clue” behind each door—just like a treasure hunt!

Each morning, the boys would run in anticipation, wanting to see what special clue was behind the door; they actually would take turns (this was an anomaly!).

Each clue had two parts – 1.) What was the treat? and 2.) Where had Mom hidden the treat?

Patting the Mommy in me on the back – I even thought to save a few of the special notes!

Freezing time in a bottle …

Ahhh – every parent’s wish! The magic ability to freeze time in a bottle and hold on to each and every moment forever, but alas, that just isn’t possible, is it?

Thank you for that, and now, back to today’s article.

Let’s break down what we really have, shall we?

Usually, when we are counting down to a special event, someone is in charge of the infamous to-do list! A great deal of importance is placed on this list, which encompasses the intent that each and every item must be completed.

And if everything is not complete, the Event will not happen, or it will inevitably be a disaster! I’ll let you in on a little secret—this negative thought ONLY lives in our minds, and no one ever thinks it, except maybe your mother.

And, of course, we are all given the same 24 hours to complete and check off those tasks on our lists.

Beginning with these 24 hours – if we get the standard “good” night’s sleep, we are then left with 16 hours. We must eat and prepare food, yes? Now we have 13 hours. We can quickly see how our time is so easily sucked into the ginormous vacuum that belongs to the universe!

Where are we? Oh yes, our 24 hours have now become 13. Next, we have Social Media – deduct 1 hour, and while you are at it, let’s deduct 2 hours for relaxing [reading, yoga, exercise, meditation, television, etc…]

10 Hours are left!

We are left with 10 precious hours to complete everything on our list! No wonder we are always asking for more time!

Please don’t listen if you hear someone clamoring for you to stop complaining and that you have 24 hours to complete everything on your list; unless you are Jack Bauer, I just don’t see that working.

Let’s just reel that stress back in for a moment.

And reflect one last time on our topic of countdowns – unless you are getting married or having a baby, I bet it is safe to say that everyone’s biggest countdown is saying adieu to one year and bonjour to the next.

But before we kiss 2019 goodbye and give 2020 a great big hello hug, we need to figure out how in the world we are going to get it all done.

And before we can answer that looming question of the day, we must pause and rewind for just a second.

This stress is exactly why we started the Sundays are Simple movement and, more importantly, why we are pushing that movement into this beautiful holiday season.

Sundays are Simple is the exact opposite of this stressed-out mindset. Yes, of course, there is no denying that we must accomplish certain top priorities.

But what if we didn’t focus on the list?

Earlier, when I had realized that we had a mere 60 days left to the end of the year, I had decided (for my own sanity) to run through my very long list and wrap up any loose ends – you know, the items that are about 80-90% complete.

Personally, I’m doing a fairly decent job on my mini-messy list. However, I have also made my morning routine and relationships a priority.

Could that be the answer to all of our questions from today?

What if the “right” thing for us to do is to focus on the “love” that seems to be stronger during this time of year instead of concentrating on all of our “to-dos” that we also have at this time of year?

Capture that love and express it to our family, friends, strangers, and most importantly, ourselves. The art of loving ourselves – give yourself a break, if one tiny detail slips through the cracks.

With all of that said, we must also be confident that what needs to be done will be done!

Can it really be that simple? Can it really be that easy?

Sometimes …

It’s like this. Father time keeps pitching the years at us. We swing and miss at a few. We hit a few out of the park. We try not to take any called strikes.

Robert Brault

Until next time … Peace and Blessings, Friends!