TIME

Finding time in our day to day lives for a mother is like searching for the Holy Grail, trying to find the Lost City of Atlantis or capturing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…

I think you get my point.

It seems pretty impossible at times. Whether you work outside of the home or you stay at home, the majority of your day is usually spent accomplishing goals other than your own and ensuring that the health and well-being of people other than yourself is well taken care of. By the time you can squeeze out a moment for yourself, you’re usually so tired that your only achievement is brushing your teeth and crawling pitifully into bed.

Okay, that may sound a bit dramatic. But you know what I mean.

Time is fleeting and even more so when you are a mother; when you spend most of the time you have each day caring for other people. You do this without resentment (most of the time) and without expectation of repayment (usually); but it is not always the easiest thing to accept that your time is not your own and not always considered or appreciated.

Not even in the bathroom!

Come on, I can’t be the only one who’s had an audience of at least one precocious preschooler while in the ‘loo’! I hope not, or else I just revealed a tad too much. Ahem…moving on!

While sacrificing personal time is one of the things that makes mothers the subject of many poems and recipients of gratitude in acceptance speeches all over the world; it can be a detriment to our health and happiness. You end up neglecting your own goals like reading that novel; writing your own novel; working out; going back to school; getting your hair done; running a marathon or climbing Mt. Everest. Big or small, they’re your goals and important to you. Even if it is as simple as going out for coffee with a friend without the children along for the ride; it is essential that you take some time for yourself to do the things that may be important only to you.

It helps to take the edge off and helps you to go back to being the ‘Super Mom’ that your family needs you to be.

Well, that and a glass (maybe a bottle) of wine.

I’m just sayin…

Joya is a married mother of 2. Aside from her family, her passions are writing and shopping. She blogs about motherhood at http://supermomdoesntlivehere.wordpress.com.  She has also just started a gift basket business called LIFE HAPPENS GIFT BAGS & BASKETS; where her goal is to help people celebrate even the smallest occasions. You can check out her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lifehappensbagsbaskets .