Time to focus on what's most important

It's that time of year when families lose a month of summer because we're bombarded with the reality of going back to school. 

With our without young children, you are likely to still feel the

ripple effect — adult children going back to college, or a daughter

hitting that point of insanity as she schedules the grandkids'

physicals at the last minute while still planning a vacation.

One piece of advice during this love-hate transition: simplify.

In "Simplify: A Guide to Caring for the Soul," Carolyn J. Rasmus

writes, "To simplify is about enhancing our ability to focus on things

that really matter, to deliberately choose our priorities, and to

refuse to let unimportant things take over the things of real

importance."

This fall we have a fresh opportunity to deliberately choose what is

core for ourselves and our families, and then focus our best energies

on those things.

What is going to be core for you and your family?

One woman I know said she wants to take a year off from children's

extracurricular activities, because of her absolute exhaustion at the

end of the past school year.

Other women I know are letting go of one sport, one camp, one

after-school program or one day of volunteering in the school — all

good things, mind you — when it just isn't helping their families

accomplish their core goals.

The other day I pulled out a piece of paper, drew a mock empty

calendar for one month and filled in all the things we would be doing

in an average month.