Finding time

We all know that it's important to check out every now and then from the everyday humdrum routine...take some "us" time. More and more, Hubby and I are discovering just how hard that can be with a little one. It was a lot easier to say "we'll get a babysitter" before we were parents. Now, well, it's a different perspective. We're torn between wanting time for us and wanting to have our child with us every moment. And then there are those times we wish we had a babysitter we could call on, but we don't and we don't have the time to extensively interview to find one.



Hubby is out tonight on a guys' night. I'm glad he is because this gives him a chance to catch up with a few friends. He gets a baby break this way, which I know we both need every now and then. I'm more of a homebody...always have been. But every now and then, I miss my closest friends who are scattered across the country. Those bonds formed in college from when we were all going through a similar stage in life. I have some friends close by that I could hang out with on the occasional basis, but when it comes down to that, I usually convince myself that I could be getting more done at home and helping with the baby. I can see exactly what I'm doing as if looking from an outside perspective...I'm putting my needs behind what I'm convincing myself are other more important needs. And when I perpetuate that, it's not healthy for me or for my family. Every now and then, we all need to take a little time to tend to ourselves and then we're much better at giving of ourselves afterwards. Just a little downtime...a little introspective time.

In the Bible, God instructs us to "...be still and know that I am God..." Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethseme and asked the disciples to stand guard over his time alone. David sought the Lord in prayer on a continual basis. Moses climbed a mountain to find God's presence. Noah built a ship to follow His word. And here I sit saying, "God, this baby sure keeps me busy." Doesn't sound quite right to me when I put it that way. It doesn't really sound justifiable. I have to do better at prioritizing how my time is spent.



How about you? Do you get that downtime we all need in this fast paced crazy world? Or do you tend to put that down at the bottom of your list of things to do and just push yourself to the limit?



PS - I think the baby knows that Hubby is out tonight...he was hard to get to sleep and he actually fell asleep with the pacifier (which he hasn't paid attention to in 6 months). I hope I'm not restarting his pacifier need, but I needed a little help this evening.