One of my college roommates and I exchanged text messages last night, too busy to talk, but enough time to connect through text.  She had come across my blog and we bemoaned the fact that we don’t have time to write.  I had told myself that I would post something weekly, but I haven’t put anything up in a months, let alone write a thing.   I told her that I am so busy working/taking care of kids/making meals/cleaning up/vacuuming again/running to appointments that sometimes it feels like my head will spin off.   Recently I saw an article on the internet that said that “busyness” is the new “thing” or status symbol – I am too busy to….go ahead, fill in the blank.   Deep sigh.  Busyness just feels like my life.  Even meditating seems difficult lately, because there are constant interruptions.  Whenever I put Oprah’s meditation challenge on and Deepak Chopra starts talking, my entire family converges upon me.  I can’t hide from them.  The boys even come into the bathroom, “Mama, Gregory just took my toy!” “Mama, I can’t find my Lego piece!”  –  the cat even tries to get in, her little paw underneath the door jiggling and jiggling in hopes that she’ll be able to open it (it’s a sliding door, so I don’t think she’ll be successful).  Just yesterday, my three year old came in while I was in the shower and declared he had to “go pee-pee RIGHT NOW” (we are in the throes of potty training) but refused to use my bathroom.  It was the one time I was thankful we had a snow day so my seven year old could help him.

But I digress.  Jess and I agreed that we would “take ten.”  Life would ALWAYS get in our way.  She is a busy working Mom with three beautiful girls and I am a busy working Mom with two boys (and one who insists he is potty trained but poops in his underpants. EVERY DAY!) There will always be closets to be organized, beds to be made, laundry to be folded and sorted, dishes to be washed, floors to be vacuumed, work to be done, reports to be filed, underpants to be changed.  But if we just gave ourselves ten minutes each day to write, something that fills us both up – just ten minutes for ourselves, what could that do for us?

And so here I am, day one of “Take 10.”  My ten minutes to get my thoughts, however jumbled out on paper and start filling up my soul.

The timer just rang – ten minutes goes quickly when you are doing something you enjoy OR when you are trying to get kids out the door.  Have you ever noticed how quickly the time flies by during the eating-brushing teeth-getting dressed-going to the bathroom-getting your coat and shoes on- backpack on-c’mon let’s hurry we don’t want to miss the bus mornings?

So here’s my unedited “Take 10” or rather 13 minutes, a commitment to myself.

I can’t wait to see where it leads.

Thanks for the inspiration Jess!