Dr. Prescription for Selfishness: Friends to remind you to breathe

Ever have one of those crazy, insane days that doesn't seem to end? One day turns into two, then three, and a week, two weeks. Suddenly you don't remember when you just took a second to breathe?!
I have been having just one of those "days," and then a friend messaged me on Saturday apologizing because she forgot S. for her daughter's birthday party on Sunday. All that ran through my head were the millions of things that I had going on that were reasons we should not go. Then something hit me. Well almost hit me but then hit me. Let me go on a tangent for a minute...
In a moment that truly can only happen to me, I went for a run (and I am trying to condense this story that could be a post in itself). That is a little staggering, I know. I decided not to feel sorry for the RA pain and the procrastination that I had about my knee to just get out there. The park was full, so I took to the road for the way back because that happened to be "the road less traveled." 

Apparently, I wasn't the only one trying to find solace from the people. As I ran up the hill, I had to come to a dead stop because I was almost hit by a deer who decided to run out of the woods seconds before I would have been in her path. With heart racing more than normal and the fear of God in me. I returned to my car.                                                                                                                           
I sat there for a pretty long time in a deep conversation with God. 
I ultimately had to thank him for stopping my selfishness in that blink of an eye. On that run, I was feeling angry for my crazy life. I was feeling angry for all the people that wouldn't get out of my way. I was feeling angry for the mean things I thought in my head about the Asians who were walking down the path shoulder to shoulder (5 of them mind you) and didn't budge when I said excuse me. The cars who looked annoyed at my presence on the road. The knee that wouldn't stop nagging me. Myself for allowing so much time between runs. A crazy busy schedule. Cleaning house. Doing laundry. Work. Taking kids places. The grouchy husband that seems to always be frustrated.  Have I hit all the bases?
Well, as I sat there in that moment of feeling sorry for myself God said, but you are so blessed. Don't call the men in white jackets, but I seriously could hear his voice whispering in my ear.      He reminded me of my dear husband who is actually working very hard on a difficult project at work and still taking time to be the cub master for O's Cub Scout pack and even more taking time to work a second job to cover expenses for his passion of triathlons. He reminded me that my husband needs my strength to find training time and guidance to nutrition and just patience. He reminded me that my teenager is just that: a teenager trying to find himself and looking for support. He reminded me of my quirky O. who unabashedly does his own thing and needs a Momma who will just say well done. He reminded me of my little mouthy princess who just seeks to figure out who she is in this great big world. But most importantly he reminded me of my friend. Remember the one I just mentioned? Yeah, I said I would get back to this. He reminded me of my dear friend who was sad that she forgot us for the party. He reminded me that when I last saw her she was having a few struggles of her own which only got more compounded in our time apart. He reminded me of her big heart and loving smile that always makes me feel like MY presence means something to her. And he reminded me that I am her friend and sometimes that means making a choice no matter how busy we are. Making a choice to take the time. Making a choice to show her love and give her that big bear hug that I knew she needed. Making a choice to stop being selfish and thinking of what I need to do and what was overwhelming me and give to someone else. 

So I gave myself a pep talk and moved forward and said it was time to wake up and look around. My kids needed my attention, so the projects that weren't done went on the back burner. My husband needed nourishment and family time, so I took the kids to him with dinner. Albeit a short dinner, it was still one that was needed for us all. Then after a good nights sleep, I took some me time at church before the crazy schedule began again. But I took time out for my friend!! We went to the party, and we took the time to breathe and just enjoy. She doesn't know it, but making her a priority helped me to better realize how horrible on priorities I have gotten in the last few weeks. So with this post, I thank you, my friend! You are a true blessing. I hope you know how much your friendship means to me. As the events at the party clearly showed, God wanted me to be there for both of us. So I write this post to you. I write it to tell you how treasured our friendship is, and that no matter how crazy this life is for either of us, I adore you and how you make me feel so special every time you see me. You are my blessing, and my breathing lesson for the week was definitely making our time a priority! ❤️