Then there are days we don’t want to end.

We value the things we do not have.

Maybe it is human nature to give more value to the things we cannot easily have: the time we don’t have enough of, the free time we rarely get, the moments with family that somehow become harder to come by.

We long for what is scarce.

We miss what we cannot easily have.

And sometimes, in the middle of wanting more of those things, we forget to notice that we already have them.

If only we could buy time.

I was 99% offline for a few days. The other 1% was supposed to be for a 3 AM PH time/12 noon Pacific time potential client call which I wasn’t able to attend because I woke up 30 minutes after the meeting time. 😅 (This was rescheduled though. 😊)

But the offline experience?

I f*ng loved it!

I seriously loved being temporarily unreachable.

Not checking.
Not posting.
Not keeping up.
Not feeling like I had to be somewhere online all the time.

And now I’m seriously considering being much more intentional about where I spend my time online and only showing up in the spaces that actually feel worth it.

And I’m thinking to myself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” 😅

To the friends who stopped FB-ing a long time ago, tell me about your well-being shift. And if you’ve taken even more radical measures, I’d love to hear about it.

Maybe this is what turning 41 feels like: realizing that my time is something I want to be much more intentional with.

Because this morning, over my birthday coffee, I found myself looking around at the life God has given me and thinking about how much time He has allowed me with the loves of my life.

My husband and son are sleeping.

My parents are sleeping.

My brother and his family are sleeping.

And I have someone looking after my son right now.

Everyone I love is simply there.

And somehow, that feels like everything.

The Bible’s prompt reflection today says:

“Take a moment to simply sit with God. Thank Him for His Word and His presence. Then, be ready to ‘hear’ what He has to say.”

And today’s Scripture:

“And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Mark 4:9 KJV

So I’m sitting with that today.

I didn’t cry when I was in pain.

But I could cry over the loss of a good client.

And the fast passing of time.

And the people who love you as you, not because of what you can give them.

At 41, I’ve had my fair share of unexpected turns, challenges, beautiful surprises and decisions that have shaped the person I am today.

There are things I once wondered about, things I didn’t understand at the time and things that make so much more sense when I look back.

And maybe that is part of growing older: realizing that not everything has to make sense immediately.

Some things simply unfold.

Some doors open. Some close.

Some seasons stay longer than expected while others pass before we realize they’re ending.

And through all of it, I can see God’s hand in ways I couldn’t always see before.

Maybe this really was part of His plan for the life He just lent me.

And if it was, then I want to keep walking forward with gratitude.

Not because everything has been perfect.

But because there has been so much beauty along the way.

So many things I once prayed for that I now get to call ordinary.

My husband.

My son.

My parents.

My family.

My work.

My home.

My health.

My quiet mornings.

My birthday coffee.

My faith.

Who am I not to be grateful for all of it?

Maybe the lesson isn’t that we need more time.

Maybe it is that we need to recognize the value of the time we already have.

The ordinary mornings.

The sleeping husband.

The sleeping son.

Parents who are still here.

Family who are still here.

People who love you as you are.

A birthday coffee.

A quiet moment with God.

The things we once prayed for that have quietly become our everyday lives.

Human nature may make us value what we cannot easily have.

But at 41, I want to learn to value what I already have, while I still have the time to hold it.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 KJV