I think we all need to take time for ourselves. We all should make the effort to care for our personal needs and do what fulfills us. It’s part of following dreams and living to the fullest. Yet, I find myself thinking of something our pastor said during our church service. He stated an idea so simple and straight-forward, yet so vitally important.

It’s not about me.

I know I have plenty of selfish tendencies. It’s human nature to not want to put others first. Or to put God first. Or to look at the overarching reach our actions may have outside of ourselves. However, I know I can’t deny my life bringing me more joy when I do approach things in that manner. It’s not about me.

Tonight, I want to remember…

My body is not all about me. My body is about treating it with love and care so it can live a full life and have health, strength, and vitality to be there for others.

My blog is not all about me. My blog is here to hopefully motivate, encourage, inspire, and give back to others even the smallest bit. As you all so often give back to me…more than you can know.

My (our family’s) income is not all about me (us). It is about giving back because every cent belongs to God and not to us. We must pay forward the blessings He has poured upon us.

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My time is not all about me. My time is about appreciating my chance to live and to use opportunities to spread love and fully experience life as God intended.

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Yes – I must care for myself and my own personal needs, as I did with fitting in a workout for my sanity…but it’s still not all about me. It’s about ensuring I can become the best version of myself, only so I can give more of myself to others. It’s not all about me. And I don’t mind it at all.

What is something outside of yourself that brings you great joy and fulfillment?

Since I have started blogging less often, quite a few things that happen go undocumented. Sometimes I feel like I don’t get the chance to share as much of those little nuances of my life. Which could very well be a good thing in your mind. And if that’s the case, I feel sorry for you because I’m about to unload a whole bunch of random things happening around the FFF household.

I can get very impatient. Especially when it comes to my current infatuation with mangoes. When Jess posted this recipe yesterday morning, I immediately told Makenzie we would be baking muffins that afternoon.

And we did. Mango. Banana. Coconut. Whole Wheat. Goodness. I followed her recipe exactly, with the exception of using vanilla almond milk instead of coconut milk. I didn’t have the patience to wait for a trip to the store. It made the muffins a bit less coconut-ty tasting, but I still loved them. I know what I’ll be snacking on the next few days…if they last that long.

Muffins and yogurt bowls aren’t the only things coming out of my kitchen though. I also take the time to whip up some easy dinners that don’t always make it in with my posts. I recently made these lettuce wraps and can’t wait to have them again.

All I did was cut some chicken into 1 inch cubes and cook it for about 7-8 minutes in a pan. Then I placed it in bibb lettuce leaves with a rainbow slaw (shredded broccoli, carrots, red cabbage), sliced cucumber, and Newman’s Own sesame ginger dressing. Simple and delicious!

I have also just had a lot going on that I couldn’t even begin to mention. I feel like I don’t know where my days go anymore! I’m so thankful for God in my life to help me keep perspective and calm me during stressful moments. I have picked back up leading our adult bible study class on Sundays.

You would think having something else on my plate would stress me, but it actually helps me. Growing in my faith makes me a better person. Believe me.

Workouts also help make me a better person, for the sanity factor alone. I have certainly experienced some great ones this week. I even broke out some Cathe DVD action yesterday. I completed her HIIT 30/30 workout. It’s been awhile since I have done an interval workout like that. I die.

I’m already dreading, but also looking forward to, the other 2 workouts from that DVD which up the challenge even more. Eep!

Lastly, I miss yoga. I think I do well fitting in regular stretching and foam rolling, but I do miss a more regular practice. I really wish a class at the gym would coincide with our schedules. Or that studio classes didn’t want to make my wallet seize with terror. The class on Wednesdays could work, but it cuts a bit into baby B’s best nap time. I can’t bring myself to do it. Almost like I can’t bring myself to do this…

…though I badly want to get in on the Netflix action. And okay – the yoga thing wasn’t “lastly”. I warned you I ramble. Anyhoo. Peter & I both know if we do the free trial, we may as well sign up because we will get hooked. We don’t need to get hooked. We already have one show a night to watch from our DVR and that hour is plenty. Although, Netflix does have workout options, right? Perhaps it could solve my yoga dilemma. Uh-oh. I feel my determination waning. 😉

• Do you have Netflix or something similar? What do you like most about it?
• What fruit are you currently loving?