THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH TIME. . .

Bill Watterson, the Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist once said, "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."  After a few weeks of heightened stress involving jury duty, as well as election concerns, I'm ready and willing to do plenty of NOTHING.  I'm not even going to feel guilty about taking time to just BE.  I feel tremendous satisfaction in completing my jury duty experience, even though I would never have chosen to do it. Being much more of an introvert, the thought of sitting through a jury trial and then deliberating an outcome with eleven strangers raised my stress level more than I'd like to admit. I definitely didn't want to take any calls when I came home.  But I'm glad for the experience and the interesting, caring, and  honest people I met.  They renewed my faith in the way our legal system operates. I will always remember that unique experience.

As far as the election, I'm incredibly glad that it's over as well. It's been a long grind muddling through the issues and ads and returns that came in last night.  It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time, but a fascinating process to be a part of.  For the most part, that too renews my faith in our system of selecting leaders.  Last night while I was waiting in the car for another family member to vote, I watched countless families with small children go about their civic duty. Sometimes it was a struggle for them to get the kids in and out, and at one point, I jumped out of the car to rescue a runaway stroller as a mom was busy strapping her two kids into car seats. I admired her commitment. It was a cold and windy night, but she was not going to let anything stop her from voting.  It reminded me of taking my own kids into the voting booth many years ago. 

But now that those important learning experiences have passed, I'm ready to get on with my life in other ways.  I'm excited to dial down the stress level again and just take in the joys and wonders of everyday life.  As Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look once in a while, you could miss it."  I don't plan to.

And if I start worrying about that next birthday approaching in a week or so, I'm reminded of Emily Dickinson's wise words more than a century ago:  "We turn not older with years, but newer every day."