It's About Time!

  How do you view time?

In trying to get around to developing a marketing system for my business (this blog, finish one of my own websites, et al.), I could not help but think that having issues with time (or the lack thereof) seems to be a completly human condition.

I was being annoyed by a certain "feathered child" today demanding my attention. Seems she would not give up on making loud noises or getting out of her cage to follow me around ("She" is my African Grey, Chiku. If you know me, 10 to 1 you have heard her ramblings). I, of course, could not be bothered with what I deemed her "bad attitude" and it was creating a terrible, chaotic day for me. With all that racket, who could get ANYTHING done???

Just then a two-ton heavy thing (a thought) hit me between the eyes and I realized how much Chiku could really teach me about prioritizing my time and my life. When seriously looking at what was accomplished in her life today compared to what I did all day long, the differences were amazing.

• First thing this monrning, Chiku got up and greeted the day with song - I, on the other hand, sat nearly brain-dead over a cup of coffee trying to "get it together" for at least an hour.
• Next Chiku ate breakfast. Me - eat breakfast? Who has time for that?
• After she ate well, she took her bath. Spending time on each individual feather, she made sure she was "ready to greet her world". I was in so much of a hurry that a fast and furious "spit bath" with an even faster tooth brushing was all I had time for.
• Amoungst her chattering (she has a very good vocabulary for a young grey), she decided the most important thing she needed in her life was to be next to her "family" and so followed me around saying her name over and over and telling me "I love you". I don't think I even said good morning to my husband or gave him a kiss all day.

I could go on and on outlining every little detail Chiku did today stating that I was too busy or too rushed to take an interest in my life (shoot she even took a nap - how glorious!). Somehow I forgot that it is essential in our "human" lives to stop and nuture ourselves and our loved ones. True I did get some brochures created and some websites finished that had been on my plate, but at what cost?

Animals have a way of teaching us simple lessons. True, they don't have a "job" or have to answer the phone or work on the computer or even sell homes, but they do teach us the why's of why we work (to support the family, to have more free time, to take a vacation or a nap) often gets left behind in the dust while we continue on being too busy to even pay attention.

Certainly Chiku got my attention today. I am going to sleep in tomorrow, spend some quality time with my husband, take a luxurious bath and even perhaps a nap! What do you have planned?