Situation: my sense of time is skewed.

Solution: reacquaint myself with time.

It’s not that I don’t understand there are 24 hours in every day; I get this.  What I recognize is that something in my time management needs to be shifted.

As if my awareness of this early in the day were not enough, to further emphasize the point, I was late for an afternoon class.  It wasn’t intentional by any means–just a perfect cluster of events to keep my conscious awareness of the class out of focus or absent altogether.

Awareness and affirmation, check.

How might I “reacquaint myself with time,” if this is how I sense a solution to the perceived problem?  I am not venturing far in making some simple observations, nor am I exhaustive of all the issues at hand.  In creating perspective, however, I have to be realistic of my current needs and present situation as wife, mother, and student.

• I need more sleep.
• I must take care of my physical body.
• Quality matters.

I realize that with these three simple statements, I can address a variety of aspects of my life.  Creating a few practical goals will, I hope, incorporate a better sense of my place in time.

• Go to bed around 11pm.
• Walk/Bike to school and local places.
• Eat good-for-us foods.
• Be present and aware in relationships and studies.

To achieve these seemingly simple goals, I will have to keep a detailed calendar.  (I am trying to use digital calendars, but I am still connected to my hand-held calendar book!)  I will have to insert travel time and continue to make menus that also account for snacks and easy-to-prepare healthy meals for a large family.  For me, prayer, listening, and writing encourage mindfulness, and as importantly for me right now, I will have to turn out the light before a new day begins.

As a friend pointed out in her sermon today, “God is before us, and friends are with us.”  I am not alone in any endeavor, but I do have to take initiative to “create the field for deep change,” as my spiritual director suggests.

Suggestions are appreciated, and I am more than willing to share my resources as well . . . as soon as I figure out what those are!

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”    ~ Mother Teresa