The Pursuit of Everything

Priority ~ Stop and smell
the roses (or zinnias in
case)!

We have this ideal in today's society that we can have it ALL. It's thrown in our faces from all directions...travel to ___ where you can see it all! Buy a ____ so you can have it all! Wear ____ so you can look like you have it all!

And we are suckers. We believe it. We think if we work hard enough and find the right person and have the right number of kids and choose the right career and do all of the above we will have it all and then all of our dreams will be fulfilled. This does seem pretty desirable but it is it really attainable?

Priority ~ Stay active so I can be
active for as long as possible.

The truth is we just probably are not going to have it ALL ever and even if we do get it all at some point we're probably not going to have it all at once. You might have a great marriage but your marriage is going to go through pretty tough times. You might have wonderful kids but there are going to be times when you think, "Who created these monsters?" You might have a career that you love but yearn to be able to spend more time at home. You might get to stay home with your kids but yearn to feel the "success" of a working mother.

Priority ~ enjoy the joys of my children,
even if that means playing in the year's
first snowfall at 10 PM on a school night.
Chances are, school will be cancelled
anyway :)

For me, I'm not sure I will ever have it ALL. My husband and I work very hard. I think we are raising three pretty good kids. I love my job and it's flexibility. But even with all I have already there are times I think, "Man, I wish I had no responsibilities and could..." Or, "I wish I made more money so I could go..." Or even, "I want more for myself in..."

And I do want more. I want to have more responsibility at my job but I know I cannot do that with three little kids at home right now. I will probably have to wait to "move up" until home life can function a little more independently without me. I do want to travel, see beautiful views, and do exciting things, but I also wanted a new house so the money we are making is being spent living more comfortably at home. I do want to be able to drop everything I am doing to go on a cross country road trip without car seats and echoes of "Are we there yet?" but I also desire more time with my kids because I hear, "They grow up way too fast!" And they do. I don't want to look back on my life and in my pursuit of getting it all realize I missed out on too many of the important, too many of the small things in life that make it so beautiful and so worth living.

Priority ~ teach my kids to love each
other and the outdoors.

So instead of searching for ALL I am trying to find balance and happiness with what I have. My husband and I set our priorities (sometimes they don't always match) and those become our dreams for the present. Our dreams are to raise three successful kids, to be as debt-free as possible, to enjoy our life on the farm and the simple things in life. I'm not giving up on dreams of the future, I just know I can appreciate all that I have because I have it pretty good!