Rocks and Sand

Day 26

Time.  No one has enough time.  Never!  It is in constant demand.  I am no different.  And despite my many attempts to manage my time wisely, I don't have the secret to successful time management.  I don't think ANY woman with 3 kids and an infant does.  Of course I have my moments, or even days of successful time management, but they are usually so exhausting that for the next three days I am completely useless.  As I was driving the three hour drive I had today, bemoaning my lack of time, and inability to ever catch up on anything, or get ahead on anything an experiment I had seen in college came to mind.

Here's the experiment:
There is a glass jar, several large rocks, lots of little rocks, and a bunch of sand, all in their own respective piles.  First you put all the sand in the jar, then the little rocks, and then you try to cram as many of the big rocks in as you can.  You can never get them all.  So, then you dump it all out, and you put the big rocks in first, then the little rocks and then the sand, and it ALL fits.

The rocks are supposed to represent the big events in life, or the important things in life, and the little rocks the not AS important things, and the sand the unimportant things in life.

Sometimes I feel like I am in quick sand.  The unimportant things in life seem to surround me, and pull me down.  In the grand scheme of life, washing dishes really isn't that important,  However, there is no way I would be able to survive if I never washed the dishes.  So I wash them, and I tell myself as soon as I have all the dishes clean, and all the laundry folded, and all the meals prepared I will play with my kids.  Yet, it is never ending.  It keeps coming and coming and coming.

Back to my epiphany as I was driving.  The cool and fun things I want to do with my kids are important.  Instead of waiting around until all the dishes are done I need to just plan them in, and fit washing dishes around THEM.  DUH!  I mean seriously, what was I thinking?  It's just like reading my Bible.  If I want to read it, and it is important, I should put it in the jar first, otherwise it is never going to fit in.

I am excited to get home and plan some fun outings and home school field trips with my kids.  My eldest A is almost half way grown!  That means I have already had him for half of the time I will have him in my home.  *Jaw dropping to floor*  It's just crazy how fast time is flying.  And if I wait till I don't have an infant in the house any more, I could miss out on many great experiences with my son.  So, to my stack of endless dishes, YOU MUST WAIT!  To my OVER organized camper, I will leave you be!  And finally, to my computer, see ya later!