On the way back from Clawson's Restaurant tonight, located in picturesque Beaufort, NC, Jeff and I looked at eachother and paused to reflect, that this could be our last night of vacation alone, together, for many years. This time, next year, we will have expanded our family, and life will no longer be about us, it will be about them. Vacation will fall by the wayside for quite some time.
You might be thinking...it was never supposed to be about you...you Purpose Driven Life people. ;) But, the truth is, it's always about us, until it has to be about other people. That's the nature of the beast in this imperfect world. We're constantly thinking about our comfort level, our plans, our physical fitness, our amusement....it's us, nearly 24/7 until it's them or someone else we have to care for. If you've ever been a caregiver, you know what I'm talking about.
Who takes up your "me time"?
As with everything else in life, those seasons of battling my own selfish nature in wanting "me" time come and go. I've found that if I focus on what I'm not getting and all that I'm giving, I get frustrated. When I think about the tremendous gift and opportunity I have to be a parent of many small children, I praise God that he's chosen me (or us, my husband and I).
ReplyDeleteAt this stage in life, if I can get all the kids to "rest time" at the same time or go grocery shopping alone while drinking a Pepsi...I'm good!
I must CHOOSE to have an attitude of gratefulness and joy rather than one of entitlement and frustration that I'm not getting "me" time.
SOOOOO thrilled for you and Jeff!!! I imagine that your babies will ALWAYS know how much they are loved and desired. DEFINITELY get as much "me" time and "date" time as the next 9 months will allow. After that it's family dates galore!!!
I've willingly given away my "me" time to caring for my two boys, our home, and (all too soon) my return to work. Some days I get in this momentary funk... it goes something like this: "I haven't even had ONE minute to use the bathroom/drink coffee/take a shower today... wah wah wah." And then I look deeply into the eyes of my miracles... both of whom are here despite some pretty shaky circumstances... and I feel this intense guilt for having felt that way. My me time is important for recharging, though... so it's a balance. I don't know what my life was full of before my husband and children.
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