Thursday, July 08, 2010

I Get To...


I read an article in a magazine by a woman who felt stressed by her life. She was overwhelmed by all the things she had to do. So she shifted the way she described these things by changing "I've got to..." to "I get to...." It struck me as a great idea.

Today I got to have a coffee with a friend first thing in the morning. We looked at some photos she had taken on a recent family trip to the safari park, and we made a plan to go to the gym together starting in September.

Then I got to take the dog for a walk among the rolling English farmland. Millions of people dream of living in the countryside. I get to live the dream.

After that I got to begin tidying the house ready for my dad's arrival tonight. It's fun to anticipate a much-loved guest, and to show my love and respect for him by making an effort to spruce the house up.

Later I get to go to the end-of-year assembly at the kids' school. There is a great community there and I count most of the other parents and the teachers as my friends. We will all get together to celebrate the children's achievements over the last year, to say goodbye to the Year 6's who will go to high school in September, and also to say goodbye to the headmistress who is retiring.

After that I get to finish the house cleaning and make everything just-so. And I will get to make dinner for my family, who have never had less than three meals a day in their lives, unlike the majority of the world.

In the evening I will get to rest in a clean and tidy house, with my well-fed children tucked up safely in their beds. I will snuggle on the couch with my husband and watch some DVDs until it is time to go to bed, keeping one ear open for dad's arrival at around 2am.

8 comments:

Almost Mrs Average said...

Ah Mel - you never fail to inspire me. It's interesting how one small word can have so much influence. Thanks for sharing. x

MaineCelt said...

Brava! This is a grand shift--more momentous than many. A similar, albiet smaller, shift occurred for me when I started teaching myself, instead of "I haven't had/got time for X to say, "I haven't carved out time for X." It helps me remember that I DO get to choose how I spend my time, and to take responsibility for the ways in which my schedule does, or does not, reflect the people and pursuits abotu which I care the most.

Vonnie said...

I like the way you think.

Ruthdigs said...

This seems such a simple shift in the way of thinking about something but it has really made me have an 'AHA' moment. Thank you for this inspiration, this kind of thinking is something I'm sorely in need of at the moment.

Anonymous said...

My life got so much better when I started thanking God for all that he gives me.

I'm thankful for a job to go to and the ability to work hard whilst there.

I'm thankful for a nice sized house that's big enough for all of us to have space to live comfortably. And I'm thankful that I don't have a bigger house so I can afford to pay the mortgage.

I'm thankful for having a wonderful family.

It makes such a difference when I'm positive about all I have and I am really very blessed because as you rightly point out, we have so much.

Em

Stonehead said...

Got is such an ugly sounding word anyway. And often redundant when "have" alone or "must" do the job more pleasingly to my ear. So it's triply pleasing to see you decide to dispense with "I've got". :D

Lucy @ Smallest Smallholding said...

Fantastic way to rethink what you actually have to be thankful for, rather than wasting time being wistful about what you haven't got/what might have been/what should have been etc. i was recently speaking to a friend who has spent the last couple of months in Malawi. She said the main difference there is the focus on relationships, because for some people, that's literally *all* they have, and they make the most of their friends and family.

Tread Softly said...

Fun way to describe the day!