Time Matters

Chapter 2 of Raising Grateful Kids is a real  throat punch for me. 

 As Kirsten Welch describes life in the 21st century  I was highly convicted of some aspects of our lifestyle that we had let slip a bit. She states that " It’s as if our culture has amped up life and made things more complicated, not because we have to but because we can. " Those words " because we can" really got my mind going.  Things have become so easy for us in daily life. We don't struggle for our food,water or shelter. We don't  repair anything anymore; we call someone or buy new. We can be reached at any time in multiple ways .

 Now I'm not saying that I want to go back to the 1900's but I so long for simplicity and self control in my choices for simplicity. I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to the quick and easy. I have  said yes to to many things knowing I can quickly do a lot. I have more done but I have lowered the quality for myself and others.  

On the simplicity standpoint I really wish our culture and manufacturing heard this cry. I don't want a computer on my washing machine or 500 features . A gyrating machine does not need electrical unit on it that after so many shakes it will fail me and I can't wash a thing. I just need some water, an extra rinse and some longevity and I am good to go. (Sorry a bout the side bar rant..... I am not bitter about being out of warranty, I promise.)
   
We need a happy medium, where what we have is enough and indulgence isn't the  norm , it's the exception and the worked for, effort put forth thing that we really wanted ,and will take care of to keep.

 We now have, as RGK states, "  time and money to focus and care deeply about things that really don’t matter." This is incredibly true. ​ We fill our time and our children s time to the brim with  activities, These are not necessarily  bad but when they  are all  about "them" , how do we expect to magically have children one day that will be jazzed to serve others?  Our time is also  taken up by  social media and we look at our screens more than we look others in the eye. (more on this in upcoming chapters)

 Now a little distraction isn't wrong,  but if we really knew how much time we spent on worthless things we would be shocked.  As a mama of 3 girls, two in college and one in high school my advice to those with littles would be not to rush or worry about sports or a to spend your time ,energy and money on what matters and last, spending  as much of it as possible together as  family for as long as you can.

The chicks when they were little

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