Living life in the fast lane. It’s how so many people live. They plan. They mentally prepare. They set out their clothes the night before. These people are efficient and can probably do circles around the Wendel house. We often go through life by the seat of our pants. It’s crazy and hectic and we are hardly ever prepared. I mean we have 3 kids that my husband and I are trying to manage on a combined 3 legs. And though we are often running late, we hardly utilize the fast lane. It’s not that we don’t know how much more quickly we can get somewhere and how important being on time is. But instead, you can often find us in the car pool lane. Lots of people, especially the extremely prepared type, forget that the car pool lane can get you from Point A to Point B as well. And it’s way more fun.

Why is the world always moving full speed ahead? No cruise control. No Sunday drive speed. And definitely no car pool lane. Why is the concept of “another day, another dollar” more important than the extra giggles, cuddles, and bed time stories? If you didn’t spend that 30 minutes before your kids bedtime packing diaper bags, laying out clothes, you could have an extra 178 hours a year. That almost 7 ½ extra days that you could make moments and memories with your family. And does it really matter if you do all this stuff before your kids go to bed or after? I get you’re a parent. Your tired. You want to have as much done the night before so you can get a few extra minutes in that warm comfy bed in the morning. But that’s just it. You’re a parent and being tired is inevitable. The moment you get pregnant, being well rested is forever gone for the next 18+ years. Guaranteed. But do you know what’s not going to be here for the entire next 18+ years? Your little boy being curled up on your lap. Your baby being swaddled and cuddled. Your daughter in footie pj’s and snuggling her blanket.

There are many good things in life that are only around for a little while. Don’t squander it with your obsession to plan and to always be prepared. Because do you know what you’ll never be prepared for? That moment when your kid heads off to school for the first time or leaves for college is no longer around every day. Or how prepared will you be when your son meets the love of his life and go gets married and now has a family of his own? You can’t be prepared for every single thing. But you can enjoy everything. Having your weekly game plan will make your week go smoother, I won’t deny you that. But what is on your LIFE game plan? I hope it’s filled with last minute fishing trips and lots of hours spent doing nothing but swinging and playing in a sand box. Don’t plan out the next years of your life. Enjoy them. As time is never promised and plans can always change. Good thing I was never much of a planner because I would have never been able to schedule the twists in the life that God has given me. Rolling with it made life post amp a whole lot easier. And as a parent, easy is often hard to find.

#TheOneLeggedMommy #CarPoolLane #FastLane #AnotherDay #AnotherDollar #Planning #EnjoyTheMoment #EnjoyTheChaos #NecrotizingFasciitis #Amputee #Amputation #HipDisarticulation #MomOfThree #PureCrazy