Everyone Gets the Same 24 Hours

This was sent through an email group I belong to and thought I would share it here ( or at least try to lol ) Life -- it's what we do between the time we get here and when we go. We only get one, and despite what other folks might suppose, it's ours to determine what to do with it. We don't measure life in hours and minutes. We measure life in memories and moments. What do you think of when you read this sentence? It was the time of my life. We don't say that often enough. The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life Life either happens to us, or we take hold of life and live it. Here are 10 Ways to get a life and start living it. 1. Give yourself permission to claim your life. That's right -- permission. You're the only one who can decide you are in charge of your life. Even though it feels like you're not supposed to do so, turn off the internal editors, the old tape recordings, the "shoulds, have tos, and musts", and the rules that didn't come from you. 2. Define what living means to you. It's not as hard as it sounds. Just picture yourself at the end of your life looking back. What words would you want to describe how you lived your life and who you are as a person? 3. Stop living in the future. Every time you think "someday" or "when I have time I will," stop. Ask yourself, "Why not now?" Think about this sentence, "I always wanted to, but never did." Start doing the things you always planned to do. Choose your life every morning. Plan one thing you will do that day to feel alive. 4. Surround yourself with people who enjoy living. They've obviously discovered how to have a life and live it. Why not hang with the pros? 5. Lay down your pain and your anger. Carrying them around makes living harder and less fun. It doesn't bring anything, and it steals a lot. 6. Let the losers win. Don't argue about things that you don't care about. Unless there's some real threat, let the folks who have something to prove, prove what they need to. Why waste your living time trying to fix what's wrong with them? 7. Create energy. Jump to forgiveness and love, then figure things out. Most conclusions we jump to are not only wrong, they're negative. Negative conclusions lead us to prepare a defense. Being on the defensive isn't living. It's hiding from life. 8. Learn the physical symptoms of when your head and heart become disconnected. We know when we're having a knee jerk reaction, when we're feeling sorry for ourselves, and when we're being blind to people's feelings. We can remember how it felt physically while we were behaving badly. Get to know those symptoms, and you can stop the behavior. Living life will feel a whole lot safer because you won't be in danger of shooting yourself in the foot. 9. Take small risks that push your boundaries in every way. The joy of life is packed in learning that matches our skill set. When we stretch just a bit intellectually, physically, emotionally, we grow. Living is growing. Even your cells know that. 10. Value and protect the people and the places you care about. A job isn't a life. It's just a part of one. Let the people you care about come first, and let everyone know that you do. Re-read numbers 1 and 2. We come into life with whatever we've got. It's ours to do with. It took me a while to figure that out -- that my life isn't just what happens to me, that I could take hold of it.

Felicia, Bravo !!! Excellant!!! That is definetly food for thought!!! Hugs,

Thanks! I thought so to when I read it. *huggles* Felicia

10. Value and protect the people and the places you care about. A job isn't a life. It's just a part of one. Let the people you care about come first, and let everyone know that you do. That one hit home with me. My "reason" I gave for quitting work was to adjust to my new lifestyle, the eating, exercise, etc., and to get ready for our upcoming move (hubby is active duty military and we will be moving this summer so I have to get everything ready and sell the house). But the truth is, I needed to be home with my kids. Reference my post about dinner - it was take out, or from a drive thru, or from a restaurant. I only had 2 hours with my two little ones every night before they went to bed. During that time we had to eat, discuss school (by the time I got home, they either had forgotten what happened that day or had already talked to SOMEONE ELSE about it, like another kid or their "coach" at after care) do homework and get them ready for bed. In the mornings, I got everyone up and got ready while they got ready. We were out the door 45 minutes later. No breakfast at home, no talking, no sharing....just rushing and yelling. It was not good. Then my oldest started having depression problems and threatened suicide. That was my wake up call. Hubby and I decided no JOB was worth risking our kids. They needed me. They missed me. They wanted me around. Our life now is so much nicer. The eldest son is back on an even keel - without meds. He just needed ME home to talk with as soon as school was over, to provide a safe environment to come home to every night and to not have to worry about the walk home, bullies, kids offering him drugs or anything else. I pick him up at school every day now. He loves that. I also cook a big breakfast every morning. We sit down and eat together and talk about the upcoming day. I know when they have a test. I know their friends. I am available if they forget their lunch money, need a book or anything else. Now we all are home every evening and talk about the day, have a snack, go outside and play to work off energy and do homework. I cook dinner and they help. We set the table together, clean up together and talk. Although I miss my paycheck (life on a strict budget is NOT fun) I wouldn't trade what I have with my children for anything. I actually dread going back to work. Hubby was talking about it like I'm going to go back as soon as we move and I finally told him I'm not sure I will go back, unless it's financially necessary for me to do so. When he asked why, I told him all the above. He understood and is happy with my current decision. Of course, the day may come when I will want to work again. If the timing is right and everyone is emotionally stable and the hours aren't too bad and the compensation is worth NOT being home....I may go back to work. But, until then....I'm a SAHM and PROUD of it!!! Thanks for this e-mail Felicia. Susan

I could not have said this better myself. You guys sound just like us. We gave up my paycheck when we had J. There wasn't even a question about it. If we ended up having kids someone was staying home lol. It was incredibly important to us to have someone here raising J instead of having someone else do it. Dale had the bigger check lol so I stayed at home. I have never regretted a single day. I have never once missed a single Joshua moment in the 6 years he has been on the plant. Dale had never had to go to work once worrying about his home or his family as there is always someone here taking care of them =). We spend great amounts of time together and we like it that way. People are always saying "You and Dale need to just go have your time" but we don't want it. We have more fun when its the 3 of us lol. I to will probably go back to work at some point but with time flying by as fast as it is I am so glad to be home and able to see it instead of being gone and missing it or only being able to "hear about it" from what ever day care provider I stuck him in or what ever class he is hopefully passing and not just a number in. I can't imagine having to figure out how to make my son fit in around my job, which is the way it always ends up working. There will be plenty of time later for what ever "work" outside the house I want to do... Are there down days. Of course lol this is life isn't it. But I still wouldn't trade what we have now for any amount of money we might have been bringing in. I am a VERY PROUD SAHM also. Best job in the whole wide world. Great reply Susan!! *huggles* Felicia

Thanks Felicia. It's nice to know there are other people out there who feel the same way. I was a SAHM the entire time the kids were little. Didn't even consider going back to wor****il the youngest was in school full time....and now I do regret working those three years. It's time I wasted in the mornings rushing everyone so I wouldn't be late for work and definitely time wasted in the afternoons because I wasn't there when they wanted or needed to talk. However, that has changed. I am glad it has too. My kids are too important. Even if they are in school, I'm still here for breakfast and afterwards....and lets face it, that's when teens NEED their Mom. I remember very vividly talking to my neice about this. (I'm closer in age to her than I am to my sister) and she said that while it was "okay" that her Mom was home with them when they were little it was when she was in junior high and high school that she really needed her Mom home. That was when she needed to talk about what happened at school, get advice or just chill with her Mom. Susan