Priorities

 Last night while I was getting ready to walk, I was thinking about how much I did not want to be getting ready to walk.  I'm tired and busy and unmotivated, but then I walked anyway.  While I was walking, I was thinking about how we spend our time, money, resources, etc.  Aside from absolute obligations, like work/school/caregiving, the way we spend our spare/extra time is completely up to us.  And what a gift that is!  Many of us will say things like, "I'm too busy to help with ????" or "I don't have the money to do ????" or "I can't attend that ?????" when in reality we aren't, do, and can; but we choose to do something else.   I've learned that how, what and when we spend our time and money on (besides the musts) are the things that are priorities to us.  If you tithe, that's a priority.  If you don't, it's not.  If you volunteer for something, it's a priority.  If you don't, it's not.  If you attend that optional meeting, it's a priority to you.  If you don't, it's not.  If you go to the party, it's a priority to you.  If you don't, it's not.  And then there are the times when you have to choose between two things, and the one you choose most likely is the priority.  Life is a series of choices, and we unknowingly or knowingly prioritize our choices by what is important to us.  It's okay to say no to things (this took me a long time to figure out), and sometimes we say yes to things purely because they are important to someone that we care about which prioritizes ourselves and someone we love (both very important). We are often faced with a choice of 2 or more things that are both important, and then we have to make a difficult decision of which to choose. Priorities may change over time as well.  For instance, last night I was walking and sweating and wishing I was not, but exercise is more of a priority to me at this time in my life; so I made the choice to do it.  Twenty years ago, exercise was not a priority for me; so I made the choice not to do it.  Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to make life choices for ourselves.  Sometimes they are not our first choice, but they are a priority.