Time and Rule 3

Hi friends,
Thank you for joining me today. Today's post is about my rule 3 for decorating. But, before we go there, I want to share something that I've been thinking about lately. I've been thinking about ..... time. It seems like lately I've been thinking, "I don't have enough time.....for my work, my family, my hobbies, my walks, my kids, my friends, my books, myself...." the list goes on and on and on. Maybe you feel this way sometimes too. It seems so prevalent in our society this idea that we don't have enough time. It seems popular to think, "Oh, I'm so busy, I don't have time for _____and ______." To be completely honest with you, I've really struggled lately with this idea of not having enough time for everything in my life that I love. But, then.....I was having dinner with a dear, smart, and very intuitive colleague of mine while I was away on a business trip recently and we started talking about this idea of time. She shared with me that she believes we truly have the time we need to spend on those things that are really important to us. She shared with me that she believes when we focus on this concept of "not having enough time" we are setting ourselves up for this situation of not having enough time. She said that when we change our thoughts, and when we start believing that we really do have enough time in our lives to spend the time doing the things that we truly feel are important and worthy of our time, we find ourselves having enough time. Well....something strange has happened to me since I've changed my way of thinking about time. Ever since I had that conversation with my friend I've been thinking about this idea of time.  I have found that honestly, I do have enough time. Enough time to spend on those things which I value. After all, how I spend my time, reflects what is important to me. If it's important to me to spend time with each of my children individually, then I do it. If it's important to me to spend time with my husband one on one, I make sure it happens. If it's important to me to find time to walk and run outside to fill my bucket with that solo time to reflect on the day and to get rejuvenated (not to mention to get this body in shape after the holidays and too many Girl Scout cookies) then I find the time each day to get outside and move my body. The work still happens. The hobbies find their way into my life too. It's really actually quite amazing how when we start to change the way we are thinking about a concept, like time, we can really change our reality. Try it! Take a couple of days and really watch the language you are saying to yourself and to others about time and see if it makes a difference when you start to change these thoughts/statements. Maybe you will find that you really do have enough time. I can't wait to see what happens for you. Please let me know!

Okay, now on to Rule #3: Enjoy what you have and love!
This one is super easy for me. I want to enjoy what I have and love each and every day. I don't think that I should have things that are so precious to me that I keep them hidden away or horde them somewhere for my children to use in the future. What if my children don't appreciate my 'things' like I do? Things are just things. They do not, and will not, have any special powers over me. My philosophy is to enjoy life, enjoy the things we have and live life. If you have a special china pattern from a grandmother or great grandmother, use it and enjoy it. What a lovely way to remember your grandmother and honor her each and every day! I am so blessed that my engagement ring is my grandmother's engagement ring. Each and every time I look at my ring I think about my grandmother and the wonderful qualitities that she had. I don't believe in putting away special items or things and never using them that are precious to me. I believe in letting things be things and enjoy what they have to offer. If I get a special soap or bath item for a gift, I use it and think about the person who got it for me. If I get a special candle or bottle of wine, I enjoy them and think fondly of the person who gave it to me. Life is really not about things, it's about experiences and relationships. I believe that whole heartedly. Here's to all of us, enjoying our things and having wonderful experiences and relationships. That's what I wish for you, my friends.

This is what life is all about: experiences and relationships-

Happy decorating & living,
Megan
megan@cottagebluedesigns.com