Priorities
“The
key is not to prioritize your what's on your schedule, but to
schedule your priorities.” Steven Covey
Long
ago, when I was married to a medical resident, he did a couple of
rotations in the emergency room of a busy New York hospital. The
charge nurse in the ER went into the crowded waiting room and triaged
to see what was most critical at any given moment. If someone
appeared to be having a heart attack or had signs of stroke, of
course they got first priority. A few times an ambulance came in with
someone who had been shot or stabbed, or a multiple car collision
brought in five or six injured people at once, and the ER staff
cleared beds for those critical situations. Sometimes people who were
merely sick waited hours to be seen. People were prioritized by the
severity of their complaint.
I
so often hear folks say they really want to do such-and-such, but
just don't have time. I say that myself. When I say, I would love to
write or travel or paint canvases, but I just don't have time, what
I'm actually saying is, those are not priorities. At this point in my
life, my priority is elsewhere. For most of us, that elsewhere has to
do with making a living, or raising our children, or both. We dream
about a day when our time will be our own and we can do whatever we
choose. For some of us that day never comes.
I
was talking with some friends last night about how things have
changed in the small church where we are all members. When we were
young adults with young children, we all returned to church after
having been away during our youth, because we wanted our children to
learn the same traditions we had learned. All of the women in the
group had demanding careers outside the home, had two or more
children, and still made time to teach Sunday School every Sunday.
Those were our priorities; it was hard work that left little time for
personal interests.
Sometimes
we let others determine our priorities. There's nothing wrong with
that if that other is someone we care about and want to please. All
of us have sacrificed our personal interests and time in the service
of relationships. We do what is best for the spouse or the kids,
because we want them to be happy. Seeing them happy makes us happy.
That being said, it's important to make time for one's personal
priorities, too. When we sacrifice too long or too much, without
claiming some of our time and energy to do what feeds our own soul
and spirit, we are likely to feel drained, as though we're trying to
draw water from an empty well.
Setting
a priority of replenishment is a good idea—it serves us and
everyone around us. In fact, we will be happier and more able to give
of ourselves, if we have ourselves to give. Make your priorities
include you.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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