Set priorities for tomorrow today

Life is whizzing by at a rate of knots.  This was brought home to me at the weekend when we went to visit step daughter #1 who had very recently given birth.  I am now a step-granny.  I have joked at being called the Wicked Step Granny or WSG for short.  The fact is that apparently, I am now “old enough” to be a grandparent, albeit an arm’s length one.  And I’m not sure I feel ready to be considered “old enough”.

It’s funny that even before a child is born we are making decisions about its future like what schools it might go to.  Before we know it we are making decisions today that will impact our tomorrows, or those of others around us.  We might live in hope that when we are “old enough” we won’t look back at those decisions and wonder about opportunities lost or time squandered.

Maybe now is a good time to consider the things that matter most to me and help me move through life by doing an inventory of priorities:

• Health – eating and exercising right needs to be first and foremost.  If I am not in the best health I can be, I will not be any use to anyone else.  As we get older, I might have to look after aged parents, an aging husband (he’s 15 years older than me), children going through their own experiences, and now a grandchild who will need support in navigating early years before they are able to make their own decisions. I am certainly making good inroads to eating more healthily.  I fantasise about exercise, but I really don’t enjoy the activity of doing it.  I walk when I can, but apart from that and #bellringing, I do no other physical exercise.
• Family – I keep saying I need to spend more time with family.  During the pandemic this has of course been very difficult, but as we emerge, now is the time to re-engage, find reasons to spend time with loved ones, schedule fun things to do together, spend more time with those you love whilst you have the chance, and reassess those more troublesome relationships.
• Self-growth – if you’ve been following my blog for a while, you will have seen me comment on this many times.  I feel I have made some improvements but still a way to go.

I do need to be deliberate with my use of time.  I have many roles at home, work and bellringing, which is great as it keeps me busy, but I need to stop and take time for myself every now and then. I need to be precious about my spare time.

As our todays vanish all too quickly how can we make the most of every day in order to have the best tomorrow?