Making Time

I have talked several times about my feeling that there is not enough time in the day to go around.  There are only 1,440 minutes in a day.  That may seem like a big number.  But considering that I prefer to sleep for roughly 500 of those minutes (thats about 8.5 hours), that only leaves me with 940 minutes.

940 minutes.  That has to include getting ready for the day, eating, getting to work, working.  Some days there are meetings or events we must attend cutting into our already minuscule amount of time.  But we still need to have time for two major things... time for ourselves and time for our relationships.

I find that taking time for myself is a must.  On days when I don't allow myself to "turn-off," I get slightly cranky.  I am worn out and need a recharge.  After a day of substitute teaching I drive home and need at least 20 minutes of alone time.  Time to unpack my things, change into comfier clothes, and unwind from the day.  More time is always better.  Then I have other things in the afternoons and early meetings.  For me the TV shows I watch in the evening are also 'me time.'  Time for me to shut off my mind for the day and enjoy the crazy story-lines that network television has deemed entertaining.

While time for myself is a necessity I have found that so is time for our relationships.  And I'm not talking about romantic relationships, though those should be included as should family relationships.  I am specifically talking about relationships with friends.  Every week or so C and I get together.  We often do dinner, but sometimes its watching Grey's Anatomy or working on a project.  But it's for the most part a consistent part of my schedule.  We have plans for dinner this week and yesterday I got a call from her.  Her shift at work changed and she was no longer on the early shift, so she asked if we could go later.  I said absolutely not a problem.  We needed to catch up.  I realized that while I will probably be more tired later, and I prefer to eat dinner earlier, I still need to make the time to get together.  To stay connected.  My friend B and I get together every few weeks, recently planning something absolutely last minute so we could chat.  Again, I knew that time needed to be made.  It needed to be found.

I sometimes end my blog posts with something like: Remember to live life the best you can, love the most you can.  Moments are precious, many things can wait, The Sunset Won't.  

We make time for those who are most important to us.  

Are you spending your 1,440 minutes wisely?  

Tick... tock...