Tuesday 22 January 2013

No Free Time

One of my most common rants to Dan is about how little free time I have.  Particularly in relation to someone else who has kids.

e.g.

"Blah-dee-blah says that SHE doesn't have any time to do anything, but she doesn't work full-time like I do."

and ...

"Dum-dee-dum says that SHE doesn't have any free time, but she manages to read for enjoyment.  I haven't read a book in 6 months"

etc. etc.

And then tonight, as I was reading Kalani his bedtime stories while mentally working out my to-do list for the evening (sort out the mountain of laundry, clean kitchen, break up cat fight, pay bills, attempt to spend time with husband), I realised that I've never thought that I've had enough time in the day to everything I want to do.  Even when I was young I probably wished there was more time to play.  And even a few years ago (pre-Kalani) I filled my time pretty effectively.  Back then it was a little more me-oriented: going to the gym, going out with friends, levelling up in WoW.... *cough* ... still, I was busy.

And then, to really put things into perspective, I think about some of the other mothers I know.

One has to work every evening after her baby goes to sleep.  No free time there.

Another has 2 boys under two - one who doesn't sleep and the other who doesn't stop moving, and climbing, and running... all day, every day.  No rest there, let alone any free time.

And yet another is studying full-time with a 1 year old baby at home.  

So what I'm trying to get at, in a very long winded way, is that it doesn't matter what your situation is.  None of us have enough time in the day to achieve everything that we want to.  

And one day, 20 years from now, when Kalani has moved out and the house is quiet and empty and I'm finally finishing the book that's been on my bedside table since last August, I'm going to look back at this time and wish that my life was still as busy and full and free-time deprived as it is now.

Life is good my friends, crazy busy... but good.