Ride the Current of Love

A young friend recently told me about challenges of being a mother of young children, a wife, and an artist. To meet all of her obligations, she had made a schedule for her day:  Get up at 4:30 a.m.; get to the gym by 5:00; go back home and paint until the children awaken.

The only problem with the schedule was that the baby didn't follow it. He started waking up every morning at 2:30 and then again at 4:30. So my friend was tired and also frustrated that she couldn't follow the schedule she had so meticulously made.

My advice to her was, "Throw away the schedule; instead, list priorities and then dance with them."

What are the priorities? 

1. Self-care, including time every day for meditation and communicating with God.

2. Spouse's well being. Take care of the marriage and give it what it needs.

3. The children's well being. Make sure they get time for play with you and being outside together, as well as the routine care.

4. Create art.

Only four things to remember. Ride the current of love throughout your day.

Set priorities and then dance with them. Relax and enjoy.

P.S. I wrote this post several weeks ago. Since then my friend has realized a need to spend more time with her painting. That's part of the dance, isn't it? Realizing adjustments that need to be made along the way. May we never get stuck in what we think is our "ideal" schedule. It's not a list. It's a dance.

You write it: How is your life dancing right now? How well are you dancing with it?