One More Hour
When the clocks are turned back for daylight savings time, most people celebrate the fact that they will get an additional hour of sleep. At the same time, it is a sign of the seasons changing, especially because it gets dark so early. Although the weather is still lovely, the cold and winter are not far away. It isn’t helped by the fact that stores barely get past Columbus Day 
and are already pulling out the Christmas decorations, but I won’t digress on that topic; I’ll save that for another blog. But those that follow me know how I feel about skipping over Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday.
But what about the extra hour? It makes me think about the days that I’ve had lately where I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get things done. I feel like I’m always wishing for more hours and more time. Not enough time to sleep, not enough time to work, not enough time to complete paperwork, not enough time to stay in touch with those I want to, not enough time to spend time with my spouse, and not enough time to take care of myself. So, given that there are a finite number of hours in the day, how do we each deal with the challenge of time? I recognize that I don’t have children and weekends that are filled with child related activities and commitments. I truly respect my friends that have that on top of everything else! I find that I can barely keep up with my own errands and demands and can’t even imagine having to be responsible for others.
Maybe this is something that happens with age, but I feel like I need to make the most of the hours that I have and fill them with the things that mean the most to me. Given the realities of making a living, work must be part of my daily schedule. And the time it takes me to get ready and not neglect my medical needs is not negotiable. So, the question I need to figure out is how to best manage the rest of my time.
I am experimenting with a “must do” list each day, trying not to do any email after dinner, limiting time on Facebook, spending more time reading, and focusing on taking time to just relax. I haven’t found the magic formula yet.
Recently, I was given what I consider a very helpful tip. Think about “what does Sheri need today” and using that to drive decisions about how I spend my time each day. It is a very interesting question that I am now trying to work into my daily thought process. How can I make the most productive use of the time but still have some time left over for me? And what is it that I really need and want?
This will be a continuous process of learning and experiencing. I’m hopeful that I will get there with meditation, trial and error, and the advice and support of others. Some days I just don’t hit the mark and I feel like I need a “do over.” The best I can do on those days is to focus both on what I accomplished that day and what I did for me and not to obsess over what didn’t get done Just learn from that day and move on to the next day and hope to do better. When it comes right down to it, I think that is the best that each of us can do. 
What is most important is to try to be cognizant of time and wishing for more is not the answer. I will keep you posted on my progress. If you have any tips that you would like to share, please do so by commenting. This is an ongoing conversation.
In the meantime, I savored the extra hour of sleep and I’m hopeful that early darkness won’t interfere with my progress. In fact, maybe I can find a way to use it to my benefit? What I do know is that I’ll try.
