My nana (pictured above) was the wisest woman I have ever known. With only a third grade education, her words packed a powerful punch. She was understated and simple and so were the pearls of wisdom she frequently shared.
I remember my first teaching job in Florida. That winter, she snowbirded to the Sunshine State to spend a month and escape the Pennsylvania winter.
After only a few days of seeing my frenetic workload and pace of life, she reminded me a lesson she taught many years earlier, which made no sense at the time since I was 14 and not #adulting yet.
Hands folded in her flour-dusted apron sitting at the kitchen table, she advised in her best broken English,
“Your day is 24 hours. You sleep 8 hours. You work 8 hours. You play 8 hours. Ok?”
It was a rhetorical “Ok?” more of a command like, “Do it.”
I got the message loud and clear. And although I didn’t put it into practice right away, it is a message that echoes often when I regress into the self-pity space of “I’m so busy.”
There are many reasons why my excuse of “I’m so busy” is a badge of honor I proudly wear to announce my importance and claim my worth, but it’s all a load of malarkey (and another blog post entirely.)
I love my mentor Joyce Meyer’s honest response to someone who complains of their busyness. She retorts, “Who makes your schedule? Change it.”
I often credit my nana or Joyce when working with women who say they are too busy to go to the gym, prepare healthy meals, or get up early to read their daily devotionals. It’s all about priorities. It’s time to make you and your health a priority, sunshine.
So as many head back to school and swing into a more scheduled life and routine this week and next, I challenge you to think about my nana’s formula and Joyce’s charge of where your time is being spent daily; how are you prioritizing your time, sunshine? Do any adjustments need to be made?
I would love to hear any of your personal revelations, insights, or adjustments regarding time and priorities. Simply hit “reply” or hop over to Facebook and share on this post to my Shine with Frannie page.
With timely and prioritized love,
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