Have you ever thought, “Gosh, I just need a little ‘me’ time,” and then felt bad about feeling that way? I wonder if that’s a natural thing for women to feel. Whenever I think about wanting more ‘me’ time, I immediately begin thinking about all the things on my to-do list that are still incomplete and the thought of ‘me’ time disappears like a vapor; as quickly as it came to mind.
But we need me time. I’ve never met a woman who didn’t need it. I most certainly do. So how do I schedule a bit more personal time without feeling bad about it?
Last night, Keith and I were having dinner with two other couples. One of the wives -a type-A woman like me- said something that really struck home. ”Sometimes we have to learn to be okay with the undone.” She went on to describe what she called the “haunting of the undone.”
Every time I look at my to-do list and see all the items not finished, something deep inside of me just cringes. ”When will I ever get to the bottom of this list?!” I think. But maybe the point is we don’t have to complete everything. Maybe it’s just a list that continues on for the rest of my life and I have to be okay with allowing some of the items on there to go undone for the day and trust I will get to them soon.
When my to-do list takes precedence over time with my family, that’s a problem. And when setting aside a bit of me time causes me to feel guilty, that’s when I know, it’s time. It’s time for me to set down my lists, not worry about checking off a single item, and just check in with myself.
Am I giving myself the amount of downtime I need to be the woman, wife, friend, sister, and daughter I most long to be? Asking myself that question at this moment, I know the answer is no. But I also know I can pause right now and come back in thirty minutes and change that answer to yes. I just need to decide to do it.
I need to give myself permission to love on myself. I need to learn to be okay with getting to the end of the day and only having half of the items on my list checked off. I will get to them tomorrow. They aren’t a matter of life and death. They can wait. But what cannot wait is my innate need to feel whole, to feel complete and to feel loved. If I’m rushing to and from, living my life by a list, none of those things will happen.
So today, I give myself permission to schedule a little ‘me’ time. Which will undoubtedly lead to a better ‘us’ time with my husband because he will have all of me (not just the bit that’s not thinking about my list). My home is meant to be my still point in a turning world and it’s time I fully embrace that. The world…can…wait.
Question: When was the last time you set aside a little ‘me’ time? How did it feel?
Until tomorrow…make it a great day!
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