Don’t worry this is not a self-shaming post about how most people give 80% and you should give 100%. I do good some days just to meet the bare minimum of living to get by. So, no….not going to tell you that you should do more.

As I see it, our days  can be divided up into 3 segments, if you will. Rest, the list, and where the magic happens.

The Rest:

Simple enough, it is where we lay our sleepy little heads down and sleep. The goal here is to sleep, sleep well, and not wake up till morning. Of course if you are a parent, especially of the little ones, you are laughing at how far fetched that is. I have been there. But, our bodies, our minds, and our souls don’t just request rest, they require it. As simple as it is, it is important to make the rest of our day even work well.

The List:

This….this is the 80% of our day that inspired my title. This is the never ending list of things to get done. This is never the fun list, like a bucket list, this is the errands to be ran, the laundry to wash, the groceries to buy, the yard that needs mowing, the leaking sink that needs repair, the oil that needs changing in your vehicle, the dust that accumulates on the shelves time, after time, after time no matter how much you clean, it comes back. This 80% is all the things that take up our time. The list. The list that continually calls for your attention. Sure they are things that have to be done, but they NEVER END! These are items that require so attention and it seems that no matter how much you work at marking them off your list, they just keep coming back.

Like laundry…..as a household of 6, the washer never stops. Don’t matter how much I do, it just keeps coming. Like how does EVERYONE in this house wear 6 different outfits a day and require 5 towels to shower….it just don’t add up. UGHHH!

This list is what we are tired from at the end of they day. The things that keep us from resting in our own houses. The houses we pay money to live in and to enjoy, we can’t because of the list. We feel obligated to it, and driven by it, and feel guilty if all the items are not completed. The list..that even if we could get to a place where it was all done, our efforts won’t last long and there will be no award giving to the best duster. No parade thrown for the one that can (only by divine help) keep up with laundry. No one will remember you for how well you kept up with your list.

Where the magic happens:

This is the part of our days I rarely get to, and when I do, I have to make it happen on purpose. I have to toss out the list and choose to go where the magic happens.

Let me explain. This is where we actually choose to live, not just breathe in and out, but live with a purpose.

This is where you choose to put the list down for a minute to do something that feeds your soul.

To connect with the ones in your household and make a memory.

To chose to spend some quality time laughing over something stupid with your spouse and  discussing bills, or kids, or work.

This is where you work on being a better person.

To take a look at your life, where you are wanting to go, and making a plan to get there.

This is where you choose to educate yourself further.

This is where you make time for that friend that gets pushed down the priority list, because, God forbid there are dirty dishes in the sink.

This is where you choose to explore.

This is where you take time to yourself to recharge your batteries, because taking care of you, means you are able to take care of everyone else.

This is where you volunteer, or give something somehow to someone.

This is where you make life better.

This is where you invest in yourself and those around you. This is where you ENJOY YOUR LIFE…that’s the magic.

How many times have you gone from rest, to the list….and never even stuck your toe into the areas where the magic happens? How many days have we traded what could have been special for the mundane? How many times have we traded chores over playing with our children?

We get up from rest, go work our 8 hour day, and as a “reward” for working all day we lay on the couch, eating ice cream, and binge watch whatever show has our attention for the moment?

You, my sweet friend  are worth so much more. So, soooooo much more. You deserve, not only to stick your toe in the areas where magic is made, but to dive in head first and ENJOY this life you are given. Enjoy the season your in. You deserve to be able to feed your soul everyday.

This is not about shaming you to put more on you already full plate, it is the make you reevaluate what is on your plate.

Be careful how you spend your time, for that is what our lives are made of.

-Rachel Ray

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