What will we make a priority?

Can I just preface this post by reminding everyone that I travel....a lot....for work?  That fact translates to: long periods of waiting for an airplane, sitting in a cab, waiting longer for a plane, hanging out in hotel rooms, waiting even longer for a plane....you get the drill.  Sounds like I'm making an excuse for a bit of "crazy" in which I engage.  Well, I am.


In addition to working on my book for Corwin Press which will be out in print in a couple of weeks, I am trying to mentor doctoral students at Walden University, write another book, keep up with a blog, be a consultant for the Danielson Group, be a consultant for Waterford Early Learning,  going to the gym each day, learning to play golf, and....oh yes, be a good wife to Dave and a good mother to the three Labs.


Do I have time to play games on my phone?  Not really but every once in a while, I have down time that can't be spent working on my next project.  So, I made the fatal error of looking for a game app on my phone.  There it was, My Talking Tom, a game that said it involved a kitten and helping it live a full life.  Sounds easy, mindless and maybe even a little fun.  Maybe I have to help get the kitten to find a mouse or maybe I have to get the kitten to run away from a puppy in record time. 
 
Oh no......that would be way too easy and involve little or no commitment.  As I opened the downloaded app, it introduced me to my new kitten and said I was now responsible for feeding it, taking it to the bathroom, putting it to bed, and playing games with it.  Oh well, I said, some of the games I could play with it seemed like mindless time-passers.  Au contraire.  I have to earn enough points in the games to BUY FOOD for the kitten or My Tom will perish!!!  I also saw almost immediately that I had to take him to the bathroom (complete with a stall he hides behind, no less---he is a modest kitten, after all) at regular intervals.  


I suddenly recalled the anxiety I felt in high school when we were suddenly thrust into parenting role by having to keep an egg safe for several days while mean boys tried to crack our eggs to show we were bad parents.  


I told myself last night I simply couldn't handle the pressure of worrying about a silly animated cat....until I had just taken a break during my training for administrators today when I heard a tiny "Mew" come from the table where I had put my purse, etc.  As I stepped closer, I was mortified to realize it was my phone!  And on it was a message:  "I have to go to the bathroom" next to the icon of a kitten.  Tom was mewing at me!!  I quickly took him to the bathroom (what? you couldn't think I would leave him hanging) and succeeded in missing my own restroom break.


I have been reminded of how we should examine our priorities.  When we say, "I don't have time to work out", what we're really saying is, "I'm making time for other things that are more important."  How do we spend any precious few minutes we have?  I try to read a Bible verse or meditation each morning but every once in a while, I think, "I don't really have time."  That's simply not true.  I am putting my time into something else, be it going back to sleep for a few more minutes, having a bowl of cereal while I check my email, or any number of things.


Just for today, perhaps we should examine our priorities.  I certainly am going to examine mine and promptly remove this kitten app that is rapidly consuming my life.  <mew> What was that?  Oh, I have to run, now.  My kitten just said he's hungry and I need to feed him.


Happy Communicating!!


Shelly