5 Activities I Want To Make More Time For

Have you ever found yourself wishing there were more hours in a day?  I guess twenty-four of them isn't already plenty enough, right?  Wrong.  As I get older, I'm learning to get my priorities together.  When it comes feeling like I "need" more time to do the activities that I really want to do more often, I've decide to cut out the fluff/extra that I can do without.  Instead, here are five activities that I plan on indulging in on a more consistent basis.

Source: CreateHER Stock

Travel

Traveling and exploring new areas have always been a passion of mine.  I remember going to visit my mom's family up North at least once a year when before I hit my teenage years.  One of my favorite trips is when we drove straight to New Orleans to pick up my older sister from college for Christmas break.  We had stopped at a hotel halfway there because of a storm, but the room we had rented was so filthy, my mom demanded her money back.

We were six deep- two adults and four kids- in my mom's trusty and faithful burgundy minivan cruising the highway with a hurricane advisory out.  However, my mom was determined to get to her oldest baby and we did.  What stands out most for me on that trip are all the laughs we had, the wonder of seeing several states and cities for the first time and how God watched out for us.  We avoided several twisters on the way back home and had to dodge more than one fallen tree.

Traveling for me is about uncovering new adventures, making memories and bonding with those I love.  I want to my kids and watch the wonderment on their faces as we discover new places together.  I want them to experience different cultures and see that what the world has to offer.

Crochet

My love for crochet started when I was about nine years old.  My mother is uber crafty.  She can draw, she can paint, she's can sew and she can crochet.  I remember watching her make a granny square blanket and I wanted to so badly to be able to crochet.  She tried teaching me, but for whatever reason, I couldn't get the hang of it.  A few years later I stumbled across some holiday craft books (from Good Housekeeping, I think) and they had step by step picture tutorials on how to do single crochet.

I found my mom's yarn stash and some old crochet hooks.  She was out of town on a business trip for a week.  I was determined to be crocheting by the time she returned.  Night and day I sat for hours with those books, my yarn and crochet hooks.  Guess what?  I had made my first scarf by the time she came home that Sunday evening.

I've been getting busy on my hooks ever since.  Last year, I upped my skills and taught myself how to make graphghans!  Crocheting relaxes me and it helps me to feel close to my mom now that I no longer live at home.  It's something that we can do together whether we're together or not.  Not to mention, there are tons of crochet groups on Facebook and I've formed some wonderful bonds within those groups.

Family Date Nights

Family means more to me than anything.  I've witnessed what happens when family bonds aren't cherished, celebrated and valued.  When my dad split, I admired my mom's commitment to keeping up our Family Date Nights.  She purchased board games, took advantage of movie rental discounts and saved enough money that we could eat out at least once a month.

One our links might have been missing, but our family chain stayed strong.  I looked forward to these nights, especially during the rough spots.  It's during these nights that we each let our guards down and allowed ourselves to be vulnerable.  There is a lot to be said about the effect that making time to have fun together as a family unit can have on children as well as parents.   

I want my kids to know that relationships between parents and kids isn't all about who bosses who.  It's finding joy in spending time together, making memories, showing support, having fun, and loving without conditions.

Source: CreateHER Stock

Local Blogger/Creatives Meetups

Can be honest and say that blogging and writing have left me feeling really lonely this year.  While I have made some AMAZING blog friendships, none of those people live remotely close to me.  I'm not ashamed to say that I don't feel like I've found my blogging tribe locally.  There are a few local groups that I've dabbled in, but I end up feeling like the Black blogger out.

It's been a struggle to find and connect with other bloggers of color in my niche that live in my area.  However, my mama didn't raise a quitter.  I'm dusting myself off, stepping up to plate and taking action.  My goal is to attend more local blogging/creative events and next year I'm going to make time to host a few meetups of my own.  Sometimes you've got to put out the call (like a bat signal) and see who answers it.

My goal is to find a few partners in crime that I can meet with monthly or whenever to brainstorm, network, pitch brands and just support each other in anyway possible.

Christian Fellowship

One of the major aspects of my life that keeps me grounded is my faith.  I can't even begin to tell y'all how many times I've heard people say they believe in God, but they don't need to go to church or be around other Christians.  And that's cool.  To each her/his own.  We all have to make our own choices including those involving our faith journeys.

However, I'm firm believer that birds of a feather should flock together.  The same way you would hang out with Oprah if you're trying to become a business mogul, is the same way you should put in the effort to surround yourself with people who share your same beliefs/faith.  I can't speak for other Christians, but  I want the kind of Christian fellowship talked about in Acts 2:42-47:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

To be breaking bread, growing, making a difference in the world and having favor sounds pretty awesome to me.  This year I've slacked on going to church and being involved in church.  I'm not one of those holier than thou types, but I do recognize my need to have consistent fellowship with other young Christians.  In a world full of temptation, danger, doubt and hate, I need that recharge and faith renewal that comes from a gathering of two or more with God in the midst (Matthew 18:20).  

I need to be surrounded by people I can trust to pour into the right things when my tank is low.  Likewise, I want to be of service and be able to pour into others when their tanks are low.

So no more excuses.  No more wasting time on non-important stuff.  I'm making the time for these activities because at the end of the day they matter.  They all play a crucial role in my happiness, my purpose and my well-being.

What's one thing that you want to start carving out time or more time for?