Don’t Save Time, Savor Time

March 07, 2018

Don’t Save Time, Savor Time

Day 57 of 80 Days of Excellence

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

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My Mom grew up making incredible cinnamon rolls. I would say here in Mitchell County, some people would even call them “famous.” I used to eat them for breakfast in college and at home. There were even times I got so tired of them that I would pass them up.

Now, Mom can’t make them anymore. Sometimes my sisters will make a pan and when we have them, I get the middle cinnamon roll (just like I used to fight over with my sisters) and I sit at the table. I’ll smell the cinnamon roll. Then, I’ll take a small bite. Now, I’ll take a good ten minutes or more to savor the cinnamon roll that I used to gulp down in seconds. I’m savoring them because they are scarce.

Seasons Change

Every season of life has its benefits just like every season of weather. I was ready for it to get warm here in South Georgia but then, the weather shot up to around 80 degrees.

We had a cold snap over the weekend and I put on my pink obnoxious “footy foot” pj’s that make me look like a massive bunny and said,

“I get to enjoy wearing this thing one more time this season.”

I think I savored that pink bunny footy-foot outfit that my family mocks relentlessly. The cold days are shorter so I realize I have to savor them.

Wishing Away Time

When I was a child, I wished to be a teenager. When I was a teenager, I wished to be in my twenties. Then, I wished I was married. Then, I wished I had kids. Then, I lost my mind.

Now I just wish to savor the short moments that seem to grow shorter by the day but longer on enjoyment.

You can’t stop to smell the roses when you’re hyperventilating.

But really, now that I’m older and have my third child in the house for just 2 1/2 more years I savor everything. I go to his region literary to hear him sing quartet. I go to every single game. Time is short so I’m savoring it. Sometimes I just go in the kitchen and get a big old bear hug where my back will often pop all the way down as he lifts me from the floor. I savor those bear hugs.

Savor the Time

I don’t want to save time. Honestly, you can’t make more time and you can’t save time because we all have just 24 hours in a day. You can, however, use time differently.

And you can certainly savor time.

And that, dear friends, is a success secret.

I remember sometimes when I’d have my babies in the bathtub and get them all scrubbed and clean and in their own pair of “footy-foot pj’s.” They would come in the den for some time with us. Sometimes I’d plop them on my lap and smell their freshly scrubbed wet hair as we’d read “My Nest is Best” for the 100th time. And I’d just smell their hair and read and watch them giggle and point. I’d savor.

You Might Regret “Saved” Time but You’ll Never Regret Savoring It

I sometimes regret “saving” time by cutting out things that really meant something. But I have never once regretted the time I’ve savored.

I’ve never regretted a sunset I stopped to watch. I’ve never regretted watching a baby bird being fed by its Mama. I’ve never regretted staying in the church to sing just one more song with the praise team after the service ended.

I’ve never regretted kissing my Mom on the cheek one more time or moving my foot across the bed to feel my husband’s warm leg and hear him breathe. I’ve never regretted taking a walk with Dad and his nine dogs or laughing with my sisters. I’ve never regretted taking a deep inhale of my aromatic coffee I drink each morning.

I’ve never regretted taking time for a conversation with a new or old friend or dropping everything to be there for someone in crisis. Even a crisis is a moment to savor if we pull together. These times never come again. And to skip ahead is to miss a moment you can’t get back. One you can’t save because it is here and gone as fast as the second-hand ticks around the clock.

I’ve regretted “saving time” by not doing some things, but I’ve never regretted savoring the time.

So, I ask you. Did you savor time today? If not, why not now?

This post is day 57 of 80 days of excellence. I’ve created an email list below for those of you want to be emailed the full posts written as part of this series.

The post Don’t Save Time, Savor Time appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!