"Someday I'll focus on me." "Someday the credit card bills will get paid off."
"Someday we'll take a trip to Hawaii."
Admit it, you've played the "Someday..." game. We all have. I've been playing it for MANY MANY years now.
Well, which day of the week is "Someday" exactly? I've been waiting for it to come and I'm still waiting!
Two summers ago, my dad had surgery and needed some major help recovering. I ended up moving in with him to help. Now, that meant that I was basically trying to keep two houses going; my own home and my dad's. I am still staying with him part-time which means this has had an impact on my husband and 2 boys. Things are working out and there has definitely been some really good things to come out of this situation!
And in September of 2013, my mom was diagnosed with Dementia. Needless to say, that was quite a shock and it's taken me a long time to come to terms with essentially "losing" my mom. I'm still dealing with this and some days are better than others. Again, some good things have come from this.
I will not bore you with anymore details, but I have learned some serious life lessons in the last couple of years. The MAIN one being..."someday" is a horrible myth that I have believed in for a very long time. The idea that one must "pay their dues" and then "someday" all will be rewarded is deceptive.
Now, I'm not talking about anything related to religion or spiritual beliefs. This is what we believe all the time, in everyday situations regardless of religious principals. We believe that when you reach some benchmark of your life...then all of a sudden the road will be clear for you to do all those things you've been putting off until "someday" comes. Unfortunately, that's all bullshit (excuse my colorful language)! You have to MAKE "someday" happen.
Take my mom, she is in her early 70s, beautiful, and perfectly healthy in every PHYSICAL way; but cannot dress herself without help. She cannot go shopping. She can't go on any trips. She has someone who is taking very good care of her but this IS her "someday". She is completely dependent on someone else. Not the kind of "someday" she thought she would be having when she pictured her future life.
I have done some serious thinking over the last few months about all this "someday" stuff and here's my...
Top 5 Ways To Live Like "Someday Is Now"
#5 Forget keeping the house in "perfect" visitor-worthy condition.
This is something I've been fighting for a really long time, actually.
My husband is a border-line hoarder (sorry honey...but you are!)
So, fighting about the junk that seems to be oozing out of every crevice has been a major part of our conversations for years. Couple that with a teen-age boy...forget it!
I'm done with spending mental energy worrying about how my house looks. It boils down to do I want to spend time with my boys (which is limited anyway) or do I want to agonize over picking up all the legos, socks, clothes, etc?
#4 Take that trip!
Or at least take definitive steps to make it happen!
I have been telling myself that "someday" I'll take my boys to Hawaii. I went with my parents and grandparents when I was in 5th grade and I still remember going to the Polynesian Cultural Center, watching the dancers, and the lovely smell of the flowers.
I want that experience for my boys and have been saying for years, "someday we'll go to Hawaii." I opened a specific bank account to save money for a trip to Hawaii. A while back I saw on Pinterest a way to save money pretty painlessly. If you look up "52 Week Money Challenge", you can read the details. Each week you save $1 more than the week before. So week #1 save $1, week #2 save $2 and so one. By the end of the year, you have just over $1,000!
I want that experience for my boys and have been saying for years, "someday we'll go to Hawaii." I opened a specific bank account to save money for a trip to Hawaii. A while back I saw on Pinterest a way to save money pretty painlessly. If you look up "52 Week Money Challenge", you can read the details. Each week you save $1 more than the week before. So week #1 save $1, week #2 save $2 and so one. By the end of the year, you have just over $1,000!
#3 Do something for yourself!
This really doesn't need any explanation, but as a woman it is unbelievably difficult to do! We have people who rely on us for everything!
We forget to stop and take care of ourselves.
Pedicure...manicure...stop at Starbucks and enjoy a few minutes just for yourself.
Exercise...I know you've heard this many times before. But do it just for YOU! Trust me on this one, you'll feel so much better! You'll feel stronger both physically and mentally! Every morning (well, let's be honest..about 3 mornings a week) I get up early and work out at home. Some mornings it's only for a few minutes, but I still feel so good about myself when I'm done. I do it for ME! No one else. I take pride in that with each workout, I'm a little bit stronger, I'm just a bit better than I was yesterday. And that't what it's all about...being better that you were yesterday.
#2 Re-connect with that long forgotten passion
I keep a pencil and sketch book in the car so whenever I'm just sitting there waiting for whatever, I pull it out and start drawing.
It's soul-feeding (if that's even a word).
#1 BE HERE NOW! (This one is the hardest for me.)
You've seen all those quotes on Pinterest..."Be Present", "The present is a gift..." etc.
But it takes real mental energy to DO IT. This is my goal. Put my phone down. Talk with my boys. I'm trying to really stop and take in those moments which sometimes sneak right by and have disappeared before I even knew it was a "moment" to savor.
"Someday" is a myth!
"Someday" will never come...so stop waiting for it!
Make YOUR "Someday" happen now!
