Wisdom from friends

Last week, my friend Tim wrote this post on his blog. He is a wise man, my friend, Tim. 

And that afternoon I took his advice.  I went home. 

It was the best thing I did all last week.

You see, a week before Eleanor was born, Chris got a new job.  It is a much better position than his old job and we were very excited for this next step in his career.  But in the weeks since he started his new job, 14 weeks to be exact (he started when Eleanor was 2 weeks old), we've never had more than two evenings in a row as a family. And getting two in a row is a big treat. He either works late or I work late and, as they say, ne'er the twain shall meet.

But last week we hit the jackpot, I had no evening meetings or events and he was either off work by 6 or had a day off FOUR DAYS IN A ROW!  So last Wednesday and Thursday, seeing my schedule was open and there was nothing pressing on my to do list, I went home early.  I got to play with Eleanor, we took Eleanor across the street to the play ground and discovered that she loves to swing on the swings, we got to both do bath and book time with Eleanor (this is usually the task of one of us when the other is either still at work or busy making dinner), and Chris and I got some us time to just sit and chat and do what we love to do, play Civilization V on the computer (yes, we're nerds like that).  Everything that I needed to get done for church got done, and it got done better than it would have had I let myself be a slave to the clock because I was refreshed by the smiles and laughter of my child, the conversation and the relaxation with my husband.

It's so easy to get caught up with work and busyness that we forget to make time for the important things, like having four evenings in a row to have quality time with family and friends.  And that's big for me right now.  Eleanor rolled over for the first time yesterday, and I was in the next room when it happened (worry not, she was in a safe place).  The second time she rolled over, Chris got to see her in action.  And she did it again today, and again I wasn't there for it.  I know I'll get to see it happen in the next couple days, but there will be LOTS of other milestones in the coming weeks, months and years that I want to be there for, but I won't be there for if I keep obsessing over how many hours I'm in the church office each week. 

Going home early last week was the best thing I've done in a while. I think I'll do it again. And you should do it, too! Don't fall prey to the busyness monster, get what needs to be done, done...do it well, and but don't forget to enjoy your life, your family, and your friends.