Sometimes, We Need Reminding

 I seem to be forever adding notes to my phone, items to my calendar, and due dates to my whiteboard at home:  all reminders of things I need to do, places I need to be, and what needs to get done.  This weekend, I took some time to remind myself of something more important - the person behind all those lists and due dates.

It is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of what is happening next that we forget the why behind it all.  We lose ourselves in the doing, simply moving our way through our days, not pausing even for a moment to remember our why.  It's not our fault; life moves quickly, and we are often fighting a battle of too much to do with too little time.  It feels indulgent to slow down and connect with ourselves, and this is how we forget.  

We forget who we are: our likes, dislikes, the experiences that shaped us, and our hopes for the future. We put these personal inventories on the back burner to be added to a to-do list for another day when we have time.  Sometimes that day will come, and we will take the time to reconnect with ourselves, but more often than not, we put ourselves at the end of the line and take care of everything and everyone else's needs first.  On paper, it seems honourable and selfless, when in reality it is not.  

It takes conscious, thoughtful effort to bring ourselves back to our why, our essence, and ourselves.  And it is time well spent.  It is the difference between being physically present and being fully present.  It is what brings the added sparkle to your eye when you smile at someone you love.  It is knowing that you matter and even your smallest actions have greater impacts than you could ever know.