I used to wear busy-ness like a badge because I valued myself in terms of how much I ‘do’. In the last couple of years, I have come to realise that I value ‘being’ far more than I value ‘doing’.
At this time of year, I notice how women especially, are even busier, as their existing ‘to do’ list expands further thanks to the joys of the festive season…presents to buy and wrap, food to prepare, cards to write, errands to run.
And the consequence is we have even less time to ‘be’…with ourselves, with others and with the Divine. I now know that one of my most precious gifts is my time. Time to listen, time to reflect, time to be with someone else and share their sadness, happiness, joy…time to be present and in the moment.
Whilst I now appreciate the opportunity to be a good friend, a supportive neighbour, a caring mum, the busy-ness created by the festive season creates particular challenges for all of us in terms of time…and, speaking from experience, its the time of year people most value our presence, rather than our presents.
This can be a very lonely time of year for many people…so my commitment this year is to remember the true meaning of friendship and willingly give my time to those I love, freely and joyfully.
Yes, I will still have periods of busy-ness…and that’s only because I am choosing to fit my ‘doing’ into a smaller time frame!