Days Ordained: Flexible Order

Families need order, kids thrive on routine and predictability, and proper home management requires planning and organization. At least I think so. That's because I fit in the so called type A personality group. I like order and a clean house. I like to plan and prepare as best I can, and I prefer to structure my days according to set goals. And of course I make lists of all kinds.

On the other hand, I am fully aware that my approach isn't necessarily best. I know that my attempt to make everything nearly perfect has at times resulted in a frustrating existence not only for myself, but for the precious people I live with. There needs to be room for real life and all the messes that comes with it. There will always be work to do, and waiting for the jobs to be entirely accomplished before allowing for the fun stuff in life is completely futile.

No one is going to remember whether or not my laundry was washed, ironed, and put away on time this week. The kids don't care if I've dusted the top of their armoire before I play with them. They won't look back and be thankful for all of the fun times they had watching me iron their shirts before the end of the day each Thursday.

No, it is more likely that they will remember me playing tag with them at the park, or taking them to the beach to test out their boomerangs, or making a quick stop to feed the ducks. They're more likely to remember a mom who allowed them to mess up the house and construct forts when they played "village" or "pirates".

I'm learning. Learning this kind of stuff goes against my grain sometimes. I get the big picture and I embrace the idea, but practically I have to make moment-by-moment conscious decisions to just relax! I want to be the kind of wife/mom/friend that can forget the master plan and focus on relationships and enjoying life. I want to spend a little more time spontaneously heading out the door with only my drivers license in my back pocket, car keys, and maybe my camera. There's a lot of fun living to be done out there. I don't want to miss out on this opportunity because it won't be quite as fun when my kids have moved out and my body is old.