The Weight of Hurry

I’ve heard something said a few times now that I can’t get out of my head:

You can live life like a stopwatch, or you can live it like a timer.

One is rushed, always counting, always aware of how much time is passing.

The other allows space—time set aside, time to be present, time to just be.

And I can’t stop thinking about it because, for most of my adult life, I’ve lived like a stopwatch.

And I can’t help but wonder what I might have missed because of it.

I became a mom at 19 years old, and that stopwatch mentality kicked in right away. I felt like I had something to prove—that I needed to show everyone I could do this well. So, my days were filled with striving and that constant, hurried feeling.

And that feeling didn’t leave me for over 20 years.

Even now, it hasn’t fully left—because old habits really do die hard.

It actually took my body crashing from years of hurry for me to see just how much it was affecting me. And even then, it took a few more years to figure out what needed to change.

But this stopwatch vs. timer idea has me thinking… how many mothers are moving through their days the same way I did?

Trying to do everything at lightning speed—believing that’s the only way to both get it all done and make meaningful memories.

I just need you to hear this:

You have time.

No, you can’t do everything—but you can do what matters.

And when you really look at the things you’ve placed in the “must get done” category, you might find that some of them don’t belong there at all.

When you give yourself space to get quiet, to reevaluate your priorities, and to shift out of that constant “go, go, go” mindset…life starts to feel different.

Softer. Fuller. More present.

More like something you’re living—not something you’re racing through.