Tomorrow Doesn’t Exist

I tend to live in the future; I’m tryin to live in the now. Last week was not one of my better weeks.  I had a root canal, crown placement, mammogram, attended a funeral. I also had to take my cats to the vet. This last one may not sound so bad. But trust me, it was not a pleasant experience. I’m not really sure who I ticked off in the cosmic scheme of things. I promise, however, if I ever figure out what I did to mess up my karma, I will never, ever do it again.  I didn’t get everything I wanted or probably should have gotten done, but I am really pleased and proud to say that I got in every one of my runs.  In the past, I would have used these events as an excuse not to exercise, but I am trying very hard to change my way of thinking. I used to be a person that always said tomorrow or later.  I’ll start eating right after the holidays…  I will start exercising and working out when things slow down more… I will work on my own quilts when I have less customer quilts…. etc. etc.  What I have finally come to realize is none of this ever happens.  Life is always busy and hectic and chaotic.  That’s life.  There is no guarantee of the future, so we need to live now. Tomorrow, by its very definition, never comes.  It’s always today.  So I have decided that I am tired of waiting.  I’m going to make time for me to get the things that I want to get done in life done and not keep putting off my desires until “tomorrow”.  I think women in particular have a really tough time with this. I think a lot of women, myself included, tend to want to, or feel they need to, put others first; your kids, your husband, even your job.  The problem comes when you never take time for yourself; it gets harder and harder to take care of these other responsibilities. So how am I breaking out of this cycle? I’m starting by saying today.  I’m going to do this now.  I make myself a list of what I want to accomplish each day starting with the things that are non-negotiable.  The first thing on my list these days is exercise.  This may not be my favorite activity, but it is one that I need to do for me. Even though I may not actually enjoy running, I know that I will feel better all day long after I workout.  I make a schedule and I actually “mark out” sections of time.  This is my time.  I don’t answer the phone, I don’t schedule customers, and I tell my family.  They have actually been very helpful with this.  I just had to let them know it was important to me.  Both kids have been helping by getting themselves ready and riding their bikes when the weather cooperates, to help me get my workouts done. I’m also making time to achieve my quilting goals.  I’m scheduling blocks of time that I’m NOT taking customer quilts.  This is going to be my time to create.  Whether it’s a new show quilt, or some fancy new quilted garments for me to wear, I’m going to take this time for me. I’ve had problems doing this in the past, because it always made me feel selfish.  I just need to keep reminding myself that I’m important too.  There’s nothing wrong with giving myself time to achieve my own goals, or even taking a break to get a massage or dye my hair purple, if that’s what makes me happy.  I’m worth it and so are you.  So make sure and schedule some “me” time in to your day. Plan for the future, but live now.  You deserve it.