I never thought I would say this but as you get older things change. Not only physically but mentally as well. Your thoughts are deeper, year heart more open and willing. Your concerns for life are in over drive. You also take years of knowledge and start applying it to life. You learn things about yourself and how to read others. You appreciate time like never before. You start to evaluate what is important and what doesn’t fill your cup any more.
When I looked at my everyday life I was pretty happy, but taking a closer look reviled a few things I wasn’t happy with. My cup was full all right but full with things that are just taking up space. That meant that those things and people I loved didn’t have much room if any at all. Bottom line time to rock this boat if you will, dig deep on what is important and what is filler.
Restoring your life can be a job that is not well received by you or others. You have to look at things and people in your life and be honest as to where they fall. Sometimes you have to go farther than you thought or dig deeper than you wanted to for answers. When I started the weight loss journey I knew I wasn’t where I wanted to be but wasn’t sure of a plan to get to where I had planned to be. I looked online, in books, talk to people, researched and researched. The one thing that kept coming back and slapping me in the face was this ain’t gonna be easy and it wasn’t. This was going to be hard work with very little play time. My researched proved to be true and hard it was.
I hate the feeling of getting older. There is so much I want to experience, so many ways I want to grow and so much I want to see. I need to focus on what and who are the most important to me. Over the past 2 weeks both my sweet grand daughters started pre-K, Ethan is a week away from his 2nd grade year. My kids are 24 and 31. Where in the world has time gone. Why do I feel like I’m in slow motion and everyone else is in full speed. I guess that is how it is as you get older. The value you put on things are different from the value you had in your youth.
We seem to label people by their age, race, religion and even by their sex. I’m not sure why we think there is one shell that fits us all. Just this morning someone said to me “Wow you’re a grandma, I would have never picked you for a grandma”. Why because I’m not your typical grandma I ask. Well she said not to many grand ma’s take body pump. Well this old granny does and always will. What I do know is that I’m a 53-year-old and not afraid of dreams head on. I sometimes get side tracked. Hopping back on my dreams can be just as rewarding as starting for the first time. Watch for the waves this boat is starting to rock.
Catherine Allen
August 14, 2018Your blog reminded me of this story below by Stephen Covey. I so agree that time is short & making time for the most important things (God, People You Love & Things You Love to Do) is a priority. If you were given a year to live, what would you change? We need to find what makes us happy (our dreams) & pursue that. God Bless You, Cathy
The Big Rocks of Life
Dr. Stephen R. Covey,
First Things First
One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”
“No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!”
“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
What are the big rocks in your life? A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these Big Rocks in first or you’ll never get them in at all.