Natalie Ogbourne

Our Moments Matter {How to Find More of Them)

Cue the music.

It’s that time of year, when the world falls in love. Every song you hear seems to say…

I haven’t noticed the world falling in love, and if we were sitting down together to write that song this morning, the lyrics might play out a little differently.

It’s that time of year when the world …

Celebrates. Decorates. Bakes and eats. Shops and wraps and delivers. And maybe worships—when they can find a moment.

every song you hear seems to say . . . 

Do you know how many shopping days there are until Christmas? Have sent your cards? Have you addressed your cards? Sigh. Have you even bought the cards? What about the gifts? And have you decided what you’ll be serving for Christmas dinner? And maybe when you get a moment you could . . .

A moment. Sometimes that’s all we have. Sometimes that’s all we need.

To connect. To cross a little something off the list. To pursue some sanity-saving soul stillness. To remember just exactly why we celebrate.

Our moments matter. Used well, important and worthwhile things can be accomplished in a moment, or over a series of them, especially this time of year when they seem to be in especially short supply.

Sometimes we carve them out of an already full day. Sometimes they just show up unexpectedly, disguised as a cancellation. Usually, though, they’re already there, buried in our actual, everyday life, camouflaged as something we might lament—something like a long wait at the dental office.

It’s possible to capture the moments that arrive unexpectedly, to redeem the ones that seem so insignificant we’ve grown accustomed to simply giving them away.

Here are a few steps toward making the most of those extra moments this Christmas season:

  1. Decide. Identify what you want to do or need to do with your moments this Christmas season. Is there a project to complete or gift to finish?  A practice you want to pursue? Soul stillness you want to seek? A book you want to read? Knowing what you want to do is a big step toward getting it done.
  2. Prepare. Can some part of that be kept close by or even carried with you, ready for those carved out or unexpected pockets of time? Christmas cards? A book? Yarn and a crochet hook? These things will all fit in a purse or small bag. Five minutes in the pickup line at school is five minutes toward your goal.
  3. Pay attention. Keep your eyes open for small moments. Don’t let them pass without realizing they are there.
  4. Focus: Use your moments. Convert that autopilot scrolling time to invested moments.
  5. Persevere: Accept the fact that you may forget to pay attention. You may not remember to use your moments. Don’t give up. Begin again and use the next ones that come your way.

What could you do with your extra moments this Christmas season?