Just a Few More Minutes

I was completely jolted out of my sleep today with the rumble of thunder that rattled the windows in my farmhouse, and trailed off in an angry growl that made me want to hide under the covers.  A thunderstorm of grand, if not epic, proportions was demanding my attention.

It worked, for a little while. But then, the need for sleep spoke volumes louder in it's silence than that last clap of thunder, and I drifted away again into my dreams. Ah, sweet dreams…

Until now. It's 4:09pm and my alarm is set to go off at 4:20pm. Should I close my eyes for a few more minutes? I am reminded of one of my older children's favorite storybooks in which a farmer needs "just a few more minutes" of sleep each morning. Then at the very last minute, he jumps out of bed and does his chores, feeding his now mildly irate farmyard crew.

I most likely will not go back to sleep, but I relish those "few more minutes". To think. To pray. To stretch. To dream about my next day off. To decide what scrubs I am in the mood to wear tonight. To think about what to pack to munch on for the next 12 hours. To remember that a coworker is bringing in her own blend of iced coffee.

Maybe I should remind her. She might forget. Oh, I needed her iced coffee last night. Strong. Potent. Eyeball opening.

Coffee…I should've gotten my brewer set before going to bed this morning. Then I could enjoy even more of the "few more minutes" in bed. Or I could've thrown something in the crockpot to make this last minute rush less crazy.

I hit the snooze button (for the first time). A part of me is afraid to turn it off completely; what if I do close my eyes for just a second? And those seconds become a few more minutes? And those minutes make me late? Okay, I should probably say "later" because I am usually just in the nick of time. I just can't make myself leave my house even earlier just to punch in at 1838 instead of 1845.

I know, it's just a few more minutes, but those minutes let me see my family for one last hug, one last reminder, one last kiss from Leo. Or two. Okay, three or four. One last "Hey mom, have a good night." or "I'll pray for you." One more bite of a hot supper. Only "just a few more minutes", but they hold value.

A few more minutes. What good can they do? Why not just waste them? Well, the way I see it, most of what gets done in life happens in those moments, so I need to look for them and use them to the best of what I've been given. In just a few minutes, a tear can be wiped away, a wound can be cleansed, a smile shared. You get the idea. Or, even just few more minutes can be just the way to capture the rest that I so often ignore (hence, why I have now hit snooze for the second time).

But all good things must come to an end. Or is it just that the end of one good thing is the start of the next good thing? I need to look at it that way. Then getting my sleepy self out of bed can become an adventure instead of a chore.

So, onward and upward, here I go. Because you know, every minute counts.

Love,
Dianne