A Good Reminder

It's 7:00pm and I'm sitting in a red wooden rocking chair crunching on peanut M&Ms as I sit across from my departure gate at the airport. I've already walked the length of the E terminal from Gate 1 to 36 three times. Only 2 more hours until my flight to Texas departs.

I've spent the last week with my 27 year-old niece on a girls trip. We've been shopping, eating, and having a great time at the Mall of America. It has been a welcome getaway - time away from home, time to be silly, time to binge watch Gilmore Girls, as well as time to reconnect with my niece. It's a welcome reminder of who I am and what is important to me.

It reminds me that I am a fun adventurous person. It reminds me that I am a good listener. It reminds me that I am authentic. It reminds me that I am a worthy person just as I am. It reminds me of the importance of spending time and making memories with loved ones. It reminds that living life without a list or an agenda is valuable. It reminds me that just being present with another human is enough.

None of these things are measurable. They aren't something I can cross off my list and call completed. They are values that I live on a daily basis. They are what guide my interactions with other human beings. And yet, I don't often consider them. I don't assign them much importance or worthy of my attention. But they are.

They are so much more important than cleaning the clutter out of my closets. Or painting the backyard fence. Or updating my bathroom fixtures. Some of the items crowding my To-Do lists. My values are mostly invisible - often forgotten and taken for granted. But they are what make me "me."

This week reminded me that who I am is much more important than what I do - a fact I often forget.