Friday, March 4, 2016

Time is SO Valuable



The biggest, most significant thing I’ve learned since having a baby is the value of time. Time is an extremely important resource. I’ve always recognized this—just so much more now. For brief moments during the day I will check my facebook or learn something online; and this is only because I am lucky enough to have a readily accessible I-Phone at my fingertips.

What I specifically miss most about my pre-child existence was having the time to learn and write. Sure—I was still busy with tons of housework, volunteering at the hospital, yard work and travelling with my husband—and being terribly, terribly nauseas from the pregnancy—but I had MORE TIME. I found myself researching things on the internet, reading, indulging in knowledge…attempting to learn. I guess I never realized what a privilege and luxury it is to have time to learn or sharpen my creative skills. I never thought about the fact that my own Mother had to forego her intellect and (ANY) novel learning activities because she was so busy trying to maintain a household, constantly cleaning up after us, raising us three children—and we were all roughly a year and a half apart. She recently told me that there was a span of about 3 years in the 1980’s where she received less than 2 hours of sleep each night.

As far as not having enough time…the irony is that I now feel like my mind is flooded with great ideas—but at all the wrong moments. I have ideas just spontaneously pierce my consciousness and I think “I need to go and write that idea down so that I can address it in the future” but I almost never have time to even write down the reminder.

I guess I didn’t realize how tough it can be for stay-at-home Moms. I see why women are joining the work-force in mass and dropping their children off at day care, paying someone $12 an hour to raise their children. This is so much easier than having to constantly change diapers and do laundry and deal with vomit all over your clothing—you feel more like a janitor without even the benefits of the pay. These career women even get to maintain their ego—“I have a respectable career and I have a baby!”

My Mom was a stay-at-home Mom.  I see why she wasn’t really able to spend time learning and reading—there is no time to pursue such luxurious, exciting things as knowledge—every second, every fracking moment you are attending to the needs of someone else.

So much of my day is involved in menial tasks that are often repeated several times each hour and the laundry piles up. There are endless diapers and gushes of spit-up all over my clothes and the baby cries a lot too. There is a lot to be thankful for too.

I am so happy and lucky to have such a healthy and sweet baby. She is wonderful! We love her so much!



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