Day in a Sentence – Fitting it all in

The other day I asked you all how you fit everything you need in to your life. Based on the responses, it seems the most important thing is to remember to pause and to remember what is important in everything we do. Things like family, quiet time, finding what is good. It’s not about scheduling and organizing, but about breathing and appreciating.

Here is what you had to say:

Linda704 – I’m still trying to figure that one out, but I find that regular exercise helps me feel better about myself, which makes a difference in my productivity.

Cheryl Oakes – Live each day making the lasting memories, it won’t be the test you made, it won’t be the bulletin board, it will be the conversations and connections.

Sheryl A. McCoy – When I care for my own needs, I’m present to consider the needs of others, so I look to myself as a window on the world.

Bonnie K – It’s a very thoughtful prompt and reminds me of a time when I worried about the anger of boys suffering from the divorce of parents, the pressures from friends etc. It’s not just the things we have to manage but the tension from everything. As I retired, people started noticing how relaxed I looked, it was because of the pressure to get to everything more than the list of things I had to do. Life is easier when you have the control to choreograph your own day, week, life. It’s so hard when you feel that you don’t have that control. I think the pressure is just increasing, and I think we need to create spaces to breathe, yoga,etc.

Mary in Missouri – Breath, prioritize, family people first, duties later. Some things just will not get attention today-like dusting.

Lynne Culp – We try, in our daily way, to move the world.

Gail Desler – Tracy’s post has led me back to a question that I often wonder about and that most recently stems from my work in Title I schools: How do we bottle up resiliency and pass it on to those most in need?

Kate – I have made peace with imperfection; doing so allows me to sleep at night.

Aram Kabodian – Tracy,
Your rant rang true for me. I’ve had those days as a 7th grade teacher, too. Somehow, we laugh or sing or write our way out of those moments. Here’s my sentence:

The days are long and I’m an early riser, so the 15 minute power nap is one tool that helps my quality of life later in the evening.

Aram

Mike – Hi Tracey… hope this finds you well……

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least”
Goethe

” The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time” ( James Taylor)

be well… mike

Gail P – You have given us plenty to reflect on during an especially hectic time of year. I like hearing you talk about “time to breathe.” We chase our tails into a real frenzy but always do best when we take things down a notch, breathe, reflect, and get organized, all the while maintaining a friendly attitude. So my sentence is:

We can’t do it all, at least not well, so lets cut ourselves some slack and enjoy our moments of smiles throughout the day.

Cynthia Calvert – Finding “Cynthia” time and then giving myself permission to not have to finish a daunting task in one fell swoop allows me to breathe and get more accomplished than when I allow myself to become overwhelmed with all I must do before I go to bed.

Amanda – Since I pretty well stink at maintaining balance, I’ll talk about one of the little moments I had recently that helped reinvigorate me. In the library I inquired about a student’s recent vacation and learned that she had made a movie about it. She said, “Yeah, you know how we did that story thing last year. I just did that, but um, I didn’t record my voice because that would be weird.” I’ll take it! Something from the classroom becoming part of her “real” life…you bet I’ll take it!

Nancy – I remind myself, there is only one of me, only 24 hours in a day but many days going forward to get everything done.

Kevin Hodgson – Life swirls around me as holidays and standardized progress reports (new this year!) loom right before me, but my wife and kids are always right there in tight focus — as they should be. Kevin

Heather Mason – I don’t know how to fit it all in, but I know that I have to recognize the small blessings as they come (the way my daughter thinks she’s a dinosaur, the quiet compliments my students give, the Christmas lights starting to go up in my neighborhood) since waiting for the big ones can really burn a person out.

Lynn Jacobs – Journal writing, taking photos, and walks along the riverside at sunset help me stay balanced.

Thank you so much for these thoughtful responses. It was wonderful to read them as they came into my inbox over the week.

Until next time,
Breathe. Live. Love.