Well, whether you love or hate the term, the idea does suggest something. Moms do a lot! Sometimes moms do too much and need to slow down and focus on what is most important.
Let's face it, it is just too easy to run around all day and miss the “good stuff” in life; like reading with the children on the couch, playing games on the carpet, teaching a young one to sew, or painting at the park. These are the moments which bind us together. I have noticed for a long time that quality of time has a lot to do with quantity of time. In fact, without quantity, quality is frequently not as binding for the relationship.
I usually get a craving to do an inventory of my life with the change of each season. However, my two biggest inventories of the year happen in August to prepare for the school year, and in January to prepare for the New Year. If you are like me right now is the time to look at what needs to be focused on for the school year, what clubs or classes your child will be involved in, and what new responsibilities you want to take on to support family or community.
Having these regular inventory times keeps me analyzing what is really best for me and my family. It keeps us balanced.
Recently, I was able to hear Carl Wall talk about the the analogy of the wind mill. Mr. Wall talked about how those big wind mills we see making energy on the side of the roads are great examples for our lives. A few of his points were incredibly poignant. Carl Wall said:
“We are like the wind mills which create power...The wind is like the adversity in our lives....We must face it to generate power for ourselves and others...The blades of the mill must be exactly balanced to work properly...If they are not balanced the wind mill wrecks...We also need to have balance in our lives so that we don't wreck...If we are out of balance we can't create that much power...”
”Wind mills have breaks...They are only built to go so fast...If a wind mill goes too fast it doesn't make as much power...The mills have breaks to make the most power possible...The slow turning creates power which others can use...We also, should not run faster than we have strength or we will not make as much usable power for ourselves and others around us...We need to apply the breaks for increased power...”
Here is a video of an out of balance or non-breaking wind mill wreck. I'm not sure which problem this wind mill had, but you get the idea.
Here is a video of me doing part of my preparing for school inventory, followed by some of the things we said no to this year and some of the things we decided were most important.
To Be Continued...
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Nicholeen Peck is a popular public speaker, television personality, and author. Her blog is Teaching Self Government. The BBC show of her family can be found there, as well as answers to frequently asked parenting questions. To buy her book click here.
