In Order Of Importance

We all prioritize issues in our life. Depending on where you are at in your life cycle, you have differing sets of priorities. Infants are primarily concerned about getting something to eat, being picked up and held and keeping their drawers dry. On the whole, those are very simple demands and babies are very effective at making their demands known and getting them implemented. Anyone who has listened to a baby cry knows how effective it is. My 10 year old son has a completely different set of priorities. His major objective is to play and get out of chores. The demands of being fed and hugged are now secondary to the finishing of a ball game, riding his bike with his friends, or getting to the next level in the video game. As far as changing his drawers, I just wish he would lift up the toilet seat and flush.

Soon his priorities will be girls and cars. Then it will be getting an education which will be secondary to girls and cars but still a priority. Once he meets the right girl and settles down, he will be given a new set of priorities. Whether he figures them out for himself, (which is what I would hope for) or has them spelled out for him, he will learn that his spouse is now his top priority. When the children come, they will top the list of important things to take care of daily. It will become a balancing act between taking care of the spouse, the children, and himself. Each one will rotate through the number one spot depending on who screams the loudest. Undoubtedly, his will take a back burner, that is what a husband and father does. What little time he gets for himself, he will have to steal from someone else. Welcome to parenting.

When you finally get to that place in life where you are happy and content, where the dreams of youth are firmly out of reach and the expectations of the future can still be attained, you gain the perspective on what is truly important. Being happy with what you have and where you are is a big part of that perspective. Knowing that you are with the ones you love and who love you is another big part. It is realizing that winning the game does not involve having the newest, biggest, most expensive toys or getting to the top level at work. The people that really matter in your life do not remember the things you have or whether you are a big wig. They remember the quality time you spend with them, the way you treat them, and those special times when you make that connection. Concentrate on those who are important to you and not those external influences that seem to fluctuate in magnitude and you will understand the order of importance.

Icool

Cobb