What Keeps Us SOOOO Busy?

​How many of you have heard , or said, this?

​“Oh my! I haven’t seen you in forever! How ARE you? What have you been up to?”

<Pregnant pause while person opens and closes mouth several times trying to find their reply>

 “Oh you know, this and that. I’ve just been so BUSY” 

And maybe they even stutter as they try to tell you how or what they’ve been up to (they may even seem amazed themselves) but without a doubt, they’ve been sooooo busy.

It makes me think: What keeps us sooooo busy?

Yes, we have jobs and families, projects and activities – but why does it seem like so much, all the time?

You probably know the answer: “Too much I have to do... Even more that I WANT to do!”

I think our minds can spend a lot of time in the latter while we are trying to do the former… thus that feeling of being scattered and maybe an unhappy, unsatisfied feeling too.

I think the frantic pace of our modern lifestyles has robbed us of two essential gifts: 
​
1. Presence – being attentive to the moment.
2. Peace - the sacredness of rest and quiet.

Not that long ago, it was standard practice to have a day off every week for physical and spiritual rest(oration). And, for most people, work days had their boundaries too – ending at a specific time, and not overflowing too often into the rest of their life via cell, text, email, etc.

But those days are gone.

So HOW DO WE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES when life is so busy??!

What if we started by prioritizing what is most important for our well-being?

1. Make time for rest.
2. Make time for fun and connection with loved ones.
3. Make time for work and service.
4. Make time for pursuits.

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Looks pretty simple, right? 

And yet, not…. because if you are caretaker, it can be very difficult to put #1 and #2 first. 

However, we need to think of these two steps as our FUEL so that we can do #3 to the BEST OF OUR ABILITY! Otherwise we will suck at service and we will be tired, grumpy and depressed (and usually sick) because we are neglecting what inspires us.

It took me a full mental, emotional and physical breakdown at the age of 33 before I finally learned to listen to my body and take care of myself so that I could not only fulfill my responsibilities, but also have energy for life itself!

We don't need to wait until illness or disease strikes to wake us up. 

LISTEN to your friends and family describing their busy-ness. SEE how our culture is steeped in the need to keep busy. NOTICE how it robs us of presence and peace.

And if you truly care about others, take action for yourself now.

Take ... no MAKE... some time this very day - to be present with your self, to take stock of what your LIFE is full of, and decide whether or not you need to make some changes. 

Because the time is now. It always has been! 
There is no better moment that this one,
and no more powerful moment than the quiet one
​where you stop, listen, and heed of what you already know:

Slow down. Take time for YOU. 
It will benefit your gut, your health, your life and those that you love and serve.