Do you ever find yourself just doing what you have to do and never doing what you want to do? This morning is one of those times. I have much work to do, a chapter to work on, a meeting to attend later today, a house to clean, research to work through, laundry to hang up … the list just goes on.

But something pulls me away from my list. I look out the window and see snow gently blanketing the ground and all I can think of is sitting by a fire, sipping my coffee, and reading a good book. Instead I fight the urge to sip my coffee while typing, sitting on my hands to warm them, or break away for moments to gaze out my window.

If all I did was what I have to do, and never anything that flows out of my passion or just plain having fun, I’d resemble a ball of yarn after a cat had it’s playful time with me — a big wad of mess. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered there is more to life than just accomplishing the next task on the To-Do List or maintaining an immaculately clean house (well, I never was good at that one anyway).

Running ragged 24/7 isn’t truly productive, healthy, and certainly isn’t fun. We may think we accomplish much, but are we accomplishing what God intends for us or just what we think we need to do? Each of us has a purpose on this earth. Our children do as well. Do we know what that is?

Do we take time to just sit with our kids to talk? Not about what they should be doing, could be doing, or enlightening them on their most recent behavior problem, just talking and being available. Do we know what their struggles are? Can we listen without giving them all the answers, but just be a sounding board? Do we hear or see patterns in them alluding to their passions? Do we see leadership qualities in their infancy waiting to unleash their potential to their world around them?

I’ve encouraged my daughter to not grow up too fast, but to enjoy each day of life as it comes. But what do I show her by my example? Does she get the picture that being an adult is boring, unimaginative, task-filled, and lacking pizzazz?

I’m taking time this morning to watch the snow fall, nurture my passions and allow them to spill out onto the page. I’ll do my work … in a little bit.

Life’s demands will crowd our days if we let them. Our passions and desires can be just a fleeting thought or a memory in the making.

As moms, wearing many hats is required (and not as a fashion statement). Some hats are fetching, while others are rather unflattering. So when I came across this saying, it fit: “I don’t know about you, but I think we’d have fewer bad hair days if we weren’t trying to wear so many hats!”

One particular day, my hair was rather disheveled …

After reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee, I put on my Working-Mom Hat to do a little computer work. While in the middle of an instant message, my daughter asked if I could make her French toast. Down went my Working-Mom Hat and on went my Cooking-Mom Hat.

As the first batch was cooking, I quickly put on my Working-Mom Hat and ran back to the computer. Minutes passed. Then suddenly the thought of burning French toast entered my mind. I dropped the Working-Mom Hat and grabbed the Cooking-Mom Hat as I raced into the kitchen. Safe!

We ate breakfast, but the Organizing-Mom Hat snuck on top my head as I began to make a list of the things we needed to do. The Multi-Tasking-Mom Hat plopped itself on top of the Organizing-Mom Hat as I walked around the house with a mouthful of French toast placing necessary items near my purse so I wouldn’t forget them, stopping by the table to gobble another bite, and then over to the counter to get my vitamins.

After breakfast, the Clean-up-the-Kitchen-Mom Hat stayed on the counter as the dishes cluttered the sink. Instead, I flung the Entertaining-Mom Hat on and picked out a movie for my daughter to watch. Back to the Working-Mom Hat I attempted to finish up a task. Within seconds, another hat peaked out ready to be used.

“Mom, the movie isn’t working. The sound is mushy.”

On went my Mom-Can-Fix-Anything Hat as my hair resembled a major case of bed head. I tried to diagnose the problem — old tape — but she was no longer interested in the mushy sounding movie. To her room she went to play on her computer. I just need to finish this one more thing for work and I’m done. As I headed to my office once again, on went the Working-Mom Hat. Nearing completion of the task at hand, the plea for yet another hat came from my daughter’s room.

“Mom, my computer won’t do what I want.” Now the Computer-Repair-Mom Hat flopped on my extremely messy-haired head. Once repaired (the computer that is, not my hair) the Working-Mom Hat barely landed on my heap of hair to finish up. Minutes later, my daughter came into my office.

“Mom, look at what I made you.”

A tad bit frustrated that my 5 minute task was taking 45 minutes due to interruptions, I almost threw the Frustrated-and-Frazzled-Mom Hat on my head, but fortunately stopped in time to gingerly place the Encouraging-and-Listening- Mom Hat on my head.

“What is it honey?”

“It’s a Certificate of Achievement Aware I made for you, Mom.”

“Thank you! What did I do to get this award? Because I made you French toast this morning?”

“No, it’s an award just because you’re my Mom! I love you.”

Moments like those make me grateful when I leave my Frustrated-and-Frazzled- Mom Hat on the shelf. I’ll switch hats. I’ll multi-task. I’ll be interrupted. I’ll have bad hair days. I just need to remember to keep my Encouraging-and-Listening- Mom Hat close by.

Go ahead — let your hair get messy. Wear a few hats (even if they are ugly). But don’t forget the most important one!