Holidays are a wonderful time for everyone to turn off the urgent and focus on the important. Many years ago, I was attending a church service when the preacher mentioned these words and I must admit, at the time, the statement perplexed me. I was a busy mom. I had a wonderful husband, two small children, a home business, was very active at my church, took time to help at the local homeless shelter weekly. It took some time for his words to sink in. Now, as I am older and less encumbered, I still need to re-live the lesson often.
Let me explain: The “urgent” are those “fires” we must deal with day to day. Those “urgent” things that tend to suddenly arise even with the best laid plans add to our “busyness” and distract us from our primary mission – the “important”.
Can you relate? I can recall looking forward to a perfectly planned day with my husband and children and then receiving a phone call with the person on the other end begging for my help, telling me why they need me urgently to fit this list of action items in to my day. My stress level rises a little, and I and my family adapt, right? From time to time, I can remember being so pressed that I allowed my “busyness” to steal my joy. Looking back, I can see how just saying “no” might have been the best way to respond.
My point is not about when to say yes or no. Sometimes we can’t choose to put the urgent aside – we just have to deal with it. Thanksgiving Day is a great time to stop, take a breath, consider, and return to what is most important. It may sound cliché, but with everything urgent that creeps in to distract us, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s most important.
Take this upcoming Thanksgiving Day to renew and immerse yourself in the things you’ve identified as most important to you. Relax, have fun, and make awesome memories. I wish you a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!
