...Time

Something's been on my mind today, and that something is a little thing we all like to call 'Time'. Sometimes we like him, sometimes we don't. Sometimes he seems to drag his feet along the way, and sometimes we just can't see to keep up with him. But there's nothing more important than the time we have now, each and every day, and what we choose to do with that time.

My 'Living with Plants' teacher, Dr. St. Clair, has talked with us many times on the importance of time-management and really knowing how to know make time for the things that really are important. The first time he talked to us about this in class this is what he said (along with some of my thoughts on his points):

When we come to this earth, we come here to experience three things: a body, agency,

and time. The first two are the factors that will determine who we will be, based on how

we use our body and our agency. But it was what we choose to do with the time we are

given that determines if we can truly reach our potential and become who it is we really are

supposed to become. And because of that, time is something that Satan uses against us

more than we're probably aware of. Sometimes we do not take time as seriously as we should.

2 Nephi 28:24- "Wo unto him that is at ease in Zion" We cannot afford to be lazy in our daily

activities and responsibilities, nor can we afford to settle for the minimum. Satan will use

time to try and stir us, as his way to grab us. Time is a valuable thing-but it can also be

a dangerous thing. It can distract us from what is really important. Too often too many

of us use our time to do unproductive things, to refrain from learning and discovering

truth, to focus on the computer, the television, or the phone instead of looking at the beautiful

creations around us.

At this point, he made a challenge to us: take an inventory of your time and see what you really spend your time doing and how much time you take to do it. Lay down a sacrifice of that time to draw closer to Heavenly Father. You are only going to get more and more busy in life; the patterns you develop now are the one's that will be with you for the rest of your life. Doctrine and Covenants 25:10 reads "And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better." Take time to turn off your phone, turn off Facebook and your computer, to turn off your music, and to turn off the world around you and really evaluate yourself and the relationships you have with your God and with the people around you. Take time to strengthen those relationships and really develop the patterns of life you want to have, and do it NOW. Life gets busy, and it gets hard. But in the words of my dear missionary: "Just remember the important things like prayer and scripture study. Never compromise those times." While it is important to still do the things you need to, like study, work, and things like that, never compromise the time we need to have in our lives for "the things of a better" like family, prayer, scripture study, and our relationships.

Today, Dr. St. Clair spoke with us again about time. Only this time it was in relation to the future. He started out by telling us that there was a day a few years ago that changed his life. He came home, opened the door, and said "I'm home!" Nothing. No one came. No one said anything. When his wife came home, all the kids ran to her, "Mommy! Mommy!" and jumped into her arms. Dr. St. Clair said he took some time to evaluate his relationship with his kids. He found an article that talked about what the author would redo with his kids if he had the chance, and one that we focused on was bedtime. My professor said, "I used to read a lot with my kids, but now I read a ton." The author of that article he read explained how bedtime is a crucial time to be with your kids. It is in those 10 minutes or so that they're getting into their PJ's and brushing their teeth that the stresses of the day go away and they just talk. And that is when you can really come to know your child and can be one of the most precious times to spend with them. After reading that, Dr. St. Clair made some changes. Now, every day he leaves school around 5, and until about 8 he just plays with his kids. That's impressive. And he has an established bedtime routine for each of his kids, separately, and they each have their own song that he sings to them. Even his 13-year-old son-they read together every night and then just talk.

Can you image the difference a relationship like this could make within our families and within the lives of our children? Granted, I do not have children yet, but a long while ago, I decided how I wanted my relationships with them to be-and it was as if Dr. St. Clair was just expanding on my own expectations for myself and how I want my family to be. While he talked about this in class today, I couldn't help but think of my own parents. I love my parents. This gave me the chance to to reflect on how bedtime used to be when I was little: when Dad would fly us around the house like Peter Pan in our feety pajamas, and Mom would sing us each our own song. Mine was "Over the Rainbow". I remember how, when Daddy would come home from work, even though I'm sure he was so tired, he would always play with us as we would run up to him, sit on his feet, and beg him to carry us around. I'm grateful I had parents who loved me as I was growing up, and who still love me, who have supported me throughout my years, who take time to play with me, and who have always been there when I've felt like I've messed up just too much. My parents are amazing. And as I've started to grow up, I've thought a lot about how I want my family to be, and how I want the relationship between my kids and their parents to be. And it's a beautiful thing to have found someone who shares the same exact perspective of family as I do, and has the same desires for a family as I do.

But here's the deal with time. We're just going to be getting more and more busy as life goes along. If we do not learn how to manage our time now, then making time for the truly important parts of life will be difficult. MY CHALLENGE TO YOU: Take an inventory of your own time. It really can be eye-opening. Record everything you do, even if you only do something for a minute or two. Evaluate what you do with your time, and sacrifice one of those things that may not be as important to really do what matters. Establish your habits and patterns now, and prepare yourself for the dreams you have for your future.

Sorry-but I lied when I said I wouldn't make another post as long as my last one. But sometimes you just gotta put your thoughts out there. If you have thoughts on this or any other insights, I'd love to hear them. Now go and spend a day in the life of time.