Family, Running & Fitness

Finding the Time

Matt Orlando
Follow Me

Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.
– Henry David Thoreau

This past Friday while I was at the doctor’s office with my wife for her post-birth follow-up appointment, it dawned on me.  My son was now six weeks old.  Six weeks!  Man it went by so fast…and I know it will continue to do so.  The little guy has gotten so big over the past six weeks, had some many “firsts”, it just amazes me.  But it also got me to thinking…what over the past six weeks have I accomplished that I set out to do?

I wanted to take time to spend with my son and support my wife in taking care of him.  Mark this one-off as accomplished.  Luckily I was able to take time off of work, as well as work from home for a few weeks to do this.  This gave me some very important time to bond with my son, and bond as a family as my wife and I shared the duties of taking care of him.  Sure, some of it’s mundane…changing diapers, feeding, soothing (for both my son and my wife)…but it’s those things that help build a solid relationship.  So, take the time to bond with family and son.  Check.

Jacob Rock Star
Thanks for spending time with me Dad! Fist Bump!

I wanted to take time to start running again.  As I’ve mentioned in other posts, after the Philadelphia Rock ‘N Roll half marathon last September, I pretty much took a whole year off.  So, I figured with the time off of work, I’d be able to get back into running while doing all the new parenting responsibilities.  And it worked…for a week or two.  And then I started commuting again.  The commute sucks my time  (the other day it took me 2+ hours to get home) and sucks my will to do anything…even running.  Ok, let’s be honest…it just sucks.  The desire is there, I have my reason to run, but I just need to find the time.  So, take the time to start running again.  Half a check.

Winter Runner
The runner I want to be again…

I also wanted to take time to catch up on the things I enjoy…like reading, blogging, and getting involved with social media.  Let’s just say that this one was much easier to do than the running, as all of the above either involve sitting on the couch or sitting in a chair in front of a computer.  Much easier to do and much easier to find the time to do since I can also do most of these on my phone on the go.  Holding or feeding my son and catching up on twitter or blogs is some easy multitasking.  Doing those while running, not so easy.  So as you can see, I jumped on twitter, started a blog, and have read several books over the past month (perhaps I’ll do a post of my favorite books and authors soon).  Catch up on things I enjoy?  Check.

Twietter Bird

They say it’s important to take the time to enjoy what you love.  Or, in other words, that’s where the majority of your time should be spent.  Right now for me, I have a so-so balance, but leaving at 7 in the morning and not getting home until 5:30 – 6:30 each night, followed by dinner and putting the baby to bed doesn’t leave much time for anything else, especially running which is where I wish I could spend much more time.  But like everything in life, finding the time to do what you love takes patience, persistence, and ironically, more time.

Let’s Hear It!

What do you spend the majority of your time doing, and what do you wish you could spend more time doing?