07-07-07 SPECIAL & UNIQUE DAY!

** WARNING ** THIS IS A LONG POST, GUESS I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT "NOTHING".

I HAD ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING FUN, TOTALY SPECIAL & UNIQUE FOR THIS WORTHY DAY. I WAS THINKING THINGS LIKE; DO 7 THINGS OUT OF THE NORM, OR GO SEE 7 UNIQUE SIGHTS, MAYBE DO 7 ACTS OF CHARITY. I WAS EXCITED TO MAKE THIS DAY MEMORABLE, STAND OUT.

HOWEVER, WE DID NONE OF THE ABOVE. ON THIS VERY UNIQUE DAY, WE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING UNIQUE FOR US. SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY, SOMETHING WE SELDOM IF EVER TAKE THE TIME TO DO.

WE DID ABSOLUTELY "NOTHING". THE IDEA CAME TO ME A FEW DAYS PRIOR, WHEN SOMEONE HAD SAID TO ME "I DON'T SEE HOW YOU HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT"? IT GOT ME THINKING, WE DON'T "HAVE" THE TIME FOR A LOT OF THE THINGS WE DO. WE "MAKE" THE TIME. WE SEEM TO ALWAYS MAKE TIME TO FIT EVERY THING, AND EVERY ONE IN. YET, WE RARELY MAKE TIME FOR OUR SELFS.

WE ARE UP BY 6:00 A.M. ON THE MORNINGS WE GET TO SLEEP IN, AND 4:30-5:00 A.M. ON THE MORNINGS WE DON'T. WE WORK IN TWO DIFFERENT STATES, WHICH IS A TWO HOUR DRIVE, ONE WAY, ON THE DAYS WE HAVE TO DRIVE IT. ON THE NIGHTS WE DRIVE BACK HOME, WE DON'T GET HOME MOST TIMES UNTIL BETWEEN 8:00 AND 10:00 P.M. DEPENDING ON WHEN WE GET TO LEAVE VEGAS. WORKING IN TWO DIFFERENT STATES MEANS WE ARE AWAY FROM HOME, (STAYING IN HOTELS OR OUR RV) ANY WHERE FROM 1 TO 5 NIGHTS A WEEK, IT ALL DEPENDS ON OUR WORK SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK. (OF COURSE MEAN TIME ONE OF US, SOMETIMES BOTH, NEED TO DRIVE BACK HOME, TO TEND TO THE ANIMALS, AND THEN DRIVE BACK TO VEGAS TO BE AT WORK FOR THE NEXT DAY). ROBBY WORKS, FOR TWO TO THREE DIFFERENT COMPANIES, JUST TRYING TO WORK, WITH THE SLOW DOWN IN CONSTRUCTION THESE DAYS, IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS. I RUN TWO DIVISIONS FOR THE COMPANY I WORK FOR. WE ALSO HAVE OUR OWN BUSINESS TO TEND TO. WE LIVE ON OVER AN ACRE OF LAND, SO THERE IS ALWAYS PLENTY OF YARD WORK TO BE DONE, YES WE DO IT ALL, WE DON'T HIRE IT OUT. WE DID A COMPLETE AND EXTENSIVE REMODEL TO OUR HOME, WHICH WE ARE NOT DONE WITH YET. PRETTY SURE IT WILL BE AN ON GOING THING, WE CAN ALWAYS FIND NEW THINGS WE WANT TO ADD, DO OR CHANGE AROUND HERE. WE HAVE OUR (TWO) HUNDRED DAY CHALLENGES WE ARE KEEPING UP WITH. WE HAVE TWO ANIMALS TO CARE FOR. WE ARE A WIFE, A HUSBAND, PARENTS, CHILDREN, GRANDPARENTS, AUNT, UNCLE, BROTHER, SISTER, FRIEND. WE HAVE MANY PEOPLE WANTING THEIR PIECE OF OUR LIFE, OUR TIME, WHICH WE GLADLY GIVE. WE HAVE THREE CHILDREN & FOUR GRANDCHILDREN IN THREE DIFFERENT STATES THAT WE MAKE SURE WE STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH, AND MAKE TIME FOR. (NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS WE WOULD LIKE THOUGH). WE HAVE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS IN SEVERAL OTHER STATES THAT WE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH, HELP OUT, AND MAKE TIME FOR. WE HAVE LIFE LONG FRIENDS IN A COUPLE DIFFERENT STATES THAT WE STAY IN CONTACT WITH, AND MAKE TIME FOR. WE MAKE TIME FOR EACH OTHER. WE MAKE TIME TO HELP A NEIGHBOR WHEN NEEDED. DO OUR CHURCH CALLINGS. READ, WRITE, PLAY, SEW, CRAFT, CREATE, INDULGE IN OUR HOBBIES, ENJOY THE BRIGHT SPOTS OF THIS HOT DESERT WE CALL HOME, (THE RIVER, THE LAKES). WE HAVE ALL THE USUAL HOUSE HOLD CHORES. (AGAIN WE DON'T HIRE ANYONE TO DO THESE THINGS FOR US). NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT, WE JUST DON'T. NOW MIND YOU, WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING, THIS IS OUR LIFE FOR NOW, AND WE TAKE WHAT WE ARE GIVEN AND WE ARE GREATFUL FOR ALL THAT WE HAVE IN OUR LIVES. IT'S JUST WE HAVE TO TRY TO REMEMBER THAT ESPECIALLY WITH EVERYTHING, AND EVERYONE IN OUR LIVES, WE ALSO NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR SELFS. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND THINGS THAT DEPEND ON US.

WE THINK MAYBE BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME DURING THE WEEK WE ARE AWAY FROM HOME, AND WE SPEND MANY HOURS A WEEK (2 HOURS AT A TIME) DRIVING, THAT WE HAVE HAD TO LEARN TO BE MORE CREATIVE WITH OUR TIME, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET ALL THE THINGS DONE THAT WE NEED TO, BUT IN LESS TIME, AND WHILE AWAY FROM HOME. I GUESS WHAT THEY SAY IS TRUE THAT THE MOTHER OF INVENTION IS NECESSITY. WE DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE, WE JUST DO IT.

SO WE THOUGHT MAYBE A UNIQUE DAY LIKE 07-07-07 WE WOULD DO SOMETHING UNIQUE LIKE "NOTHING".

WE STAYED IN BED UNTIL, WELL ABOUT 7:45 (HEY THAT'S PRETTY LATE FOR US), WE STAYED IN OUR P.J.'S ALL DAY. WE EVEN TOOK AN AFTERNOON NAP (UNHEARD OF), WE WATCHED A MOVIE WHILE HOLDING HANDS, WE WATCHED A RACE AND A BASEBALL GAME ON T.V. WITH OUT DOING TEN DIFFERENT THINGS AT THE SAME TIME, WE PLAYED ON THE COMPUTER FOR A SHORT WHILE, READ A BIT, WROTE A LITTLE, TALKED A LOT, LAUGHED EVEN MORE, WENT OUTSIDE LONG ENOUGH TO CHECK ON THE ANIMALS, THEN RIGHT BACK IN THE HOUSE. WE DIDN'T TAKE ANY CALLS, EXCEPT FROM OUR KIDDO'S. WE DIDN'T EVEN MAKE ANY MEALS, WE JUST ATE WHAT EVER, WHEN EVER, WE DID NO YARD WORK, NO HOUSE WORK, NO WORK AT ALL. WE TRIED VERY HARD TO KEEP ALL THE "I SHOULD BE DOING ...... THOUGHTS OUT OF OUR HEADS). IT WAS GREAT, IT FELT VERY REJUVENATING, VERY LIBERATING. IT WAS SO OUT OF THE NORM FOR US, IT ALMOST FELT SINFUL.

WE DIDN'T MAKE TIME FOR THIS, WE JUST TOOK TIME.

NOW WE CAN'T TAKE THE CREDIT FOR THE IDEA, IT ALL STARTED FROM SOMEONES COMMENT. WHICH REALLY GOT ME THINKING, LIFE IS SHORT, WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, THERE NEVER SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH TIME IN ANY GIVEN DAY TO GET ALL THE THINGS DONE THAT WE WANT. MOST DAYS, WE ALL PROBABLY FEEL PRETTY BAD ABOUT THAT, BUT I THINK THAT IF WE SAT DOWN LONG ENOUGH TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK, WE WOULD SEE, WE ALL TEND TO FIT QUITE A BIT OF LIVING INTO OUR LIVES, QUITE A LOT OF THINGS INTO ANY 24 HOUR PERIOD. IT ALSO GOT ME THINKING THAT IT ISN'T ABOUT HAVING THE TIME TO DO SOMETHING, OR EVEN FINDING THE TIME, IT IS ABOUT MAKING THE TIME, OR TAKING THE TIME. IT'S ABOUT CHOICES, PRIORITIES, MULTI-TASKING, LEARNING TO TAKE SHORT CUTS, DO THINGS FASTER, SKIP A MEAL, OR GIVE UP A FEW HOURS OF SLEEP. WHAT EVER THE CASE MIGHT BE, WE AREN'T SUPER HERO'S, WE DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIAL POWERS TO GET THINGS DONE, WE CAN'T WIGGLE OUR NOSES, OR SAY POOF AND IT'S DONE. WE HAVE JUST FOUND WAYS TO MAKE TIME FOR ALL OF IT, WHAT EVER THAT TAKES. SOME DAYS WE CAN'T, BUT YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO BE OK WITH THAT TOO.

I THINK ALL TO OFTEN WE, JUST DON'T TAKE ANY TIME FOR OURSELFS. WE FEEL QUILTY OR SELFISH IN DOING SO. BUT, NOT ON THIS DAY, IT WAS GREAT! IT WILL BE MEMORABLE, IT WILL STAND OUT! SO SOME DAYS THINGS DON'T END UP EXACTLY AS WE PLAN THEM, BUT THAT IS OK, SOMETIMES IT'S NICE JUST NOT TO HAVE ANY PLANS, TO JUST WING IT, PLAY IT BY EAR, BE SPONTANEOUS. WE NEED TO THINK OF OUR SELFS AS RECHARGEABLE BATTERY'S, WE HAVE TO REGAIN ENERGY OR SPIRIT, RESTORE, INSPIRE, INVIGORATE, OR REFRESH OUR SELFS SOMETIMES. "WE ARE NOT THE ENERGIZER BUNNY".

SO "TAKE" THE TIME, OR "MAKE" THE TIME, BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY TO SQUEEZE OUT MORE THAN 24 HOURS IN A DAY!