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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Every time we visit my parents, I enjoy using their fancy coffee machine to make hot cider and cocoa. Actually my entire family looks forward to it. Whether the children have just come inside from hauling wood or as a fun addition to breakfast, that little counter top gem gets a workout.

My husband surprised me with our own machine for Christmas this year. I think the kids were just as excited as I was to go through all the different flavored cups. I’ve enjoyed it every day this week, and yesterday I’m not ashamed to say I had it twice. It’s my civic duty to try each and every flavor that was purchased.

My unofficial goal for the new year was to increase my ice cream consumption. I came up with this because I realized that I’m simply too busy. It seems I’m always rushing from one thing to the next, and then all of a sudden it’s bedtime. Life is happening all around me and I’m missing it. I need to slow down and appreciate the small, simple moments. I needed to enjoy more ice cream. So although I haven’t done that, I have most certainly upped my hot cocoa intake. I feel like that’s pretty much a win.

This weekend I’m going to have lunch with an old college friend of mine. Since we parted ways 20 years ago, we’ve only met up one time. When she told me she was coming to Minnesota, I was so excited because I knew I’d get to see her. We were supposed to get together last weekend, but my life took a different turn. I received a message from her yesterday and realized that she was still here and there was still time.

I frequently think I have more time, so I’ll put things off until later. Might be something simple like washing clothes or actually scheduling a lunch date with friends. I have good intentions, and I genuinely believe myself when I say, “Oh yeah I need to do that.” However, I’ve learned that time passes no matter what, so if I want to do something, I need to actually do it.

Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today … If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way, if not, you’ll find an excuse.

I believe I’ve just discovered another goal for the year.

I feel good about this. These two ideas go hand in hand on my quest to live more intentionally. If you’ve ever tried to be more purposeful about your thoughts or your actions, you realize how hard it can be. You also realize how much of your life’s on autopilot. I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I want to spend my time on earth.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” — Oscar Wilde

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.