Well Spent!

"That takes commitment!"

I heard those words directed to me last Wednesday morning.  The time was 6:03 AM.  The place was a coffee shop.  The purpose was a morning meeting with a group of friends.  The temperature outside was between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  The man who voiced the words did so when he saw me sitting inside holding gear that gave away my means of transportation - my motorcycle.  He was impressed that I would brave the chill  

His words were correct.  I am committed to riding.  I bought my Shadow in the summer of 2015, having wanted one since the 80s.  So some of my commitment arises from a still-alive-and-well "I can't believe I finally get to do this" syndrome.  My commitment also arises from the fact that I really don't like buying something only to park it.  (I have to do that all winter-long anyway.)  Yet there is another and far more motivating reason for my commitment.  I love it!  I love to ride.  

You, too, might love to ride.  You do love to do something.  

Play tennis?  Ski?  Eat?  Sleep?  Play with your kids?  Sing?  Spend time with your spouse?  Write?  Read?  Teach?  Run?  Color?  Dance?  Preach?  Pray?  Spend money?  Save money?  Garden?  

(My apologies if I failed to list your "love.")

Call those passions, interests, favorites.  Call those what you will.  Whatever you call them, you love them.  You know you love them because you commit to them.

You also commit time to . . .

Laundry?  Dishes?  Snow plowing?  Cleaning?  Plunging the toilet?  Pulling hair from the drain?  Changing diapers?  Taking your meds?  Changing the bandages?  Serving your time?  Apologizing? 

("You're welcome" if I didn't bring up that thing you really don't enjoy.)

Call those chores, burdens, have-tos, honey-dos, pains in the neck, hastles.  Call those what you will.  Whatever you call them, you despise (or, at least, don't enjoy) them.  You know you despise them because you commit time to them.  Wait!  That doesn't sound right!

And so it goes.  Life as we know it entails highway cruises and hallway spills.  "Clean up on aisle 7!"  

Your commitments and your "musts" fill your time.  While most of your musts are non-negotiable, you can choose your commitments.  

A wise scholar (or a person claiming to quote a wise scholar) said something to the effect that one can tell the most about a person by simply taking a look in his/her checkbook and calendar.  How you choose to spend your "non-must" money and "non-must" time reveal your priorities.  

I know it's not yet Spring, but the cleaning that we must do can't wait that long.  Will you join me in some "spring cleaning" in October?  (Why not?  Easter baskets will be on sale at your nearest box store in just a few weeks.)

What can you remove from your "choose-tos?"  Trust me, you can do this.

Now, one last thing.  When you finish reading this sentence, go do a "just because" thing before you move on to your next "must do."