Susan Barr

Time is one of those amazing things. When you’re young, you can’t wait for it to go by quickly. As you get older, it moves way too fast. And have you noticed, there just never seems to be enough of it to go around. Over the years, I’ve realized that few of us are true masters at using time efficiently and I know that I’m not one of them.

When you think about it, almost from the time we can speak, we seem to innately know how to put off, delay, or simply procrastinate about things that we would prefer not to do. In several areas of my own life, I am very efficient at managing time.I keep the family home running smoothly; everyone gets fed regularly,their clothes are clean, and everybody is generally where they have to be at the time they’re supposed to be there. Yet when it comes to managing time in another area of my life, I have to admit that I often fall short. I’m talking about carving out time for really important, if not essential things; one-on-one time with each family member,taking responsibility for my own health, participating in activities that are truly beneficial to my emotional well-being.

Many people I know also admit to feeling overwhelmed, that they just don’t have time for all of the really important stuff in life. So what’s the solution? Is there one? A movie came out a few years ago called “Something’s Gotta Give.” The title hits the proverbial nail on the head. Perhaps the answer for all of our “time related” woes is not to keep trying to cram more and more into an already overpacked schedule but rather, to scale back, eliminate the unnecessary and take care of what is truly important first.

For the last eight years I have put off something very important and I can’t even give you a good reason why. I moved to the United States several years ago and promptly became a landed resident after I got married. Since then, there have been two kids, a mortgage, taxes to pay and the many ups and downs of normal everyday living. I simply never took the time to fill in the necessary paperwork (ten pages) and get the appropriate documentation lined up. It wasn’t that I didn’t think it was important, I did. I love the United States, the great people I’ve come to know and the beautiful valley in which I live.

So why am I telling you this? Well, I finally got the kick in the pants that I needed. My eight-year-old son asked me over dinner one night whose side I would fight on if Canada and America went to war with each other. As I looked at him across the table, I realized he had just put everything into perspective. I live here, work here and most importantly, my family is here. What on earth had I been waiting for? I filled in the forms the very next morning. Last week I was privileged to be sworn in along with 634 other people from 58 other countries. I finally became an American citizen.

If you have something that you know in your heart you should be doing, take the time to do it today. Maybe your kick in the pants won’t come from a cute freckle faced kid. Maybe it will come from a doctor who says you better make some serious health changes or else. Maybe it’s a friend or relative you haven’t spoken to for years and you’ve been missing.

Or maybe it’s a situation that has just gotten a little out of hand. Whatever it is, find a reason to take care of it now. At the end of the day, like me, you’ll be able to nod your head and say, “I did it and I’m glad.”