there's too many ways I could spend hours in my day...

Mornings are exciting to me. Those first drowsy moments, when the house is still quiet and my optimism not yet tempered by the unavoidable interruptions that will inevitably wreak havoc on the schedule I have mentally crafted, are golden. Before me, like a canvas, lies a clean blank slate on which I'm free to create a highly original work of art that best reflects my state of my mind, the contents of my soul, the uniqueness of my voice, my tastes, my talents. The challenge, as the day stretches on, is staying focused on my overarching vision while avoiding the alluring traps of stagnant time wasters. Ten minutes here, twenty minutes there of surrendering my concentration to off topic stimuli in the form of internet surfing, magazine browsing, wandering aimlessly from room to room lamenting the many things I've yet to accomplish, etc. add up quickly.

This afternoon, I want my children and I learn to something we didn't know yesterday. Rather than distract myself with thoughts and research on what else I could and should be doing to round out their education, I will take full advantage of the wonderful material we already own to inspire their curiosity. This afternoon, I want to listen. I want to stop typing or reading or compiling yet another list, when one of my kids has something to tell me. This afternoon, I will not pick up the phone only to distance myself and disrupt the flow of our household activity on a conversation I could have later, when Troy is home or the children are resting. This afternoon, I want for each of my kids to perform a chore and do it well. I want to spend a good solid hour on my book revisions. I want us to get outside. I want to put away the laundry still lying folded in the basket in our upstairs hallway. I believe these things are possible with a little forethought, concentration, and constant prayer. I believe (although I am working on acting upon this conviction) that flexibility (which is not synonymous with aimlessness as I once was apt to suppose) is a skill that takes a whole lot of practice and discipline to master.

Tonight, I want to fall into my bed exhausted (yet satisfied) from having stretched, challenged and demanded a little more from myself.