Time Management

This is something I'm fairly abysmal at, time management, which is funny considering I have a degree in Business Management and you would think the two would go hand-in-hand.  And I did manage time well when I was in college. I had two young children in grade school, two all grown and out on their own; I was in PTA and kept up with everything pretty well.  But, as time has gone on, something has slipped.  I have a long, long list of things-to-be-done and a somewhat (okay, much) shorter list of already-accomplished.  Of course, big additions to the list were aging parents and grandparents and also health issues and me going back to work.  All of it combined to undermine my time management, though I needed it more than ever.
I read a blogpost by Peter Bregman titled "Two Lists You Should Look at Every Morning" where he talked about a Focus list and an Ignore list.  I think these are  the things I've been working on, basically, but I take too much time to make my lists!  I get caught up in what I need to do, but then also "What do I really NEED to do today?" and then "What I need to do sometime" and "What can I put off today, but that needs to be done fairly soon", etc.  It goes on and on.  I waste more time making my lists to help me stay focused....hmmmm.  
Things happen to sidetrack me that are unplanned, but necessary.  I just need to learn to accept what I can do and not stress over what I can't get done.  The Focus lists and the Ignore lists are important, but I need to keep them shorter and more to the point and not worry so much about the lists! Though writing-things-down-so-I-won't-forget-them is another whole blogpost, writing things down does help me to not waste time worrying about what I've forgotten that I wanted to do!  Sigh!

Happy Anniversary!

Because there is so much out there that is negative, I want to say that today we have been happily married for 29 years!  I think so many people think if you ever disagree that there is something wrong.  We are talking about the blending of two individuals with different ideas and different backgrounds that have to meet in the middle somewhere.  This requires a lot of communication and too many people don't talk with each other.  We have told all of our kids that marriage isn't 50/50 - it's 100/100, two people both working very hard at making a marriage succeed.  Things have not always been perfect - sometimes it's me and sometimes it's him and sometimes it's both of us - but overall it's a successful marriage.  It doesn't seem like it's been 29 years!  We are closer now than when we were first married;  there is an understanding that grows over time with two people who commit to each other and commit to the relationship.  I'm very happy to celebrate another year with my best friend!

Time

Why is it that we think up these wonderful projects to do early in the year and then realize all of a sudden that it's the end of the year and we don't have much time to finish them?  My friend and I teach an AWANAs (Bible learning) class at church on Wednesday nights.  We have the 3-to-4-year-olds, sounds daunting, doesn't it?  They are actually pretty fun at that age.  Their minds are going all the time and they want to know everything!  Once they settled into the routine, they've behaved pretty well most nights.  When they were bouncing off the walls, it seemed all the AWANAs kids were (through 5th grade), like it was weather-related or something.  It will be sad to see the end of the AWANAs year - and a relief - but we're leaving them with something to remind them of the past nine months.  The coloring book has all the Bible verses they've learned in it.
I only remember bits and pieces of what went on when I was three or four, but all my memories seem to be happy ones.  Hopefully, we've added to their happy-memory stockpile; they enjoy the crafts we do and they even remember some of the verses, which I think is pretty impressive considering that they're not reading yet.
Here is a picture of some finished books:

We got them done in time, so they can get them next week at the Awards Ceremony, along with the patches they've earned this year.  The kids have been working on the covers for them off and on the last few months, when we had a few extra minutes here and there.  This is officially our last project of the year.

Bit of Wisdom

My bit of wisdom on my birthday:
I know enough to know that I don't yet know enough and that I still have a lot to learn!

Point of View

I think most writers write from their personal viewpoint. Our experiences color what we convey to others. We share what we know. The gift is in being able to have your own point of view, but being willing to listen to others' points of view, maybe even seeing the point they are making whether you agree or not.  

Que sera sera

There was an old song back in my youth
Sung by Doris Day
The sentiments expressed in her song
Are still relevant even today


Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be


We think we're in charge and
We have all these plans
But what we forget is
Time's in God's hands


It's hard to let go of pride
And trust in His guiding hand
But we know we will be alright
If we just go along with God's plan


Misty Dawn Pierce 5/16/2012

Where Are Your Thoughts Today?

An article by Joyce Meyer got my attention.  She was talking about the idea that we become what we think about, so if we focus on negative things, then we become negative people.  Too often in the last couple of years, my thoughts have gone down negative paths, fueled by stress and grief and being overwhelmed.  This article really hit home: I've been working on tackling each issue, but it always takes more time than I think it will to come to a place of understanding and learn how to cope or change my life.

The Bible teaches us to focus on what is right, pure, lovely, admirable (Phil. 4:8), clearly positive things.  I  strive every day to find the blessings and to turn away from negative thoughts.....it's an ongoing battle, but one that I think is worth fighting....one step at a time.

Mother's Day

Mom - I’m proud of who you are and the love you have for others.  You are such a giving person and you are always thinking of others and how you could make them smile with your thoughtfulness (not that you think of it that way! J ).  I’m glad you’re my mother and the grandmother of my children.  You have taught me a lot about thinking of others and paying attention to what they’re thinking about.  And you’re a wonderful prayer warrior!  I know that I don’t know how many times you have prayed me to safety and good decisions and better situations.  I appreciate your prayers and your love.  You are much loved!

Small Stuff

I was reading an article by Myrna Raffkind in our local paper.  She was saying that what is of great importance to us at one stage of our lives changes as we reach another stage.  Each age has its definition of what's "big stuff" and "small stuff", but that at every age we need to look at what's going on framed by how relevant it is to the grand scheme of our lives.  
I think that is the theme of the last couple of years of my life.  I have been looking at what seemed so important (my work) that it took precedence over other things and realizing that wasn't what I wanted to define me.  I was good at my job, but I had let it start running my life instead of it being just a part of my life.  I think this can happen with any number of things in our lives: kids, sports, school events, even church or caring for parents or relatives; none of these are bad things, they can just become so overwhelming that they become the main focus of your life instead of being a part of a balanced life.
It's taken me almost two years to reach this point in time and I'm still not there yet.  I still sweat the small stuff too often when I need to step back and say "This really doesn't matter in the long run!".  Balance has still not been achieved!  But I'm working on it........

The Beginning

I have hit the midlife whatever!  It's not a crisis, really, more a realization that time has come for a change.  There have been a lot of changes in our lives over the past decade and beyond and as my title says, I feel mostly as though I'm blowing in the wind most of the time.  Whatever the direction, that's the way I end up going.  And, around here, the wind blows from all directions!