IN THE THICK OF THIN THINGS?

There are always more things to be done than there is time to do them, and so proper prioritizing may be the single most important skill of life. I know that, but I often need a reminder.

I have a book launch this weekend so I'm eyeball deep in Key Lime Jelly Bellies, bookmarks, favor tags and promo stuff.

I was driving yesterday and I had a CD in the player from last October's LDS Church Conference. I heard President Monson's comment about how too many of us are "in the thick of thin things." It struck a chord. It really struck hard, and I wondered if the hours it will take to make Jelly Belly favors for the launch will matter in a week, in a month, or even on Saturday.

It's an obsession. We're over-scheduled, over-committed to "thin things." We all want to do our best at whatever we're doing--that Relief Society lesson or that dinner for the missionaries--so we kill ourselves to hit perfection when prayerful preparation will suffice. We want to invite the new family over for supper, but we wait until we get can get the rugs scrubbed and then the opportunity and the inclination slip away.

We should at least be finding joy in the "thin things" we choose, but how often do we postpone enjoying our life while we endure it, saying, "As soon as I get past this event or that I'll. . ." What a sad thought. I don't want to "get past" my life in order to enjoy it. I want to enjoy whatever I'm doing, whatever my circumstances . . . right now.

So many seemingly essential things that seem urgent today do evaporate in an instant when an emergency arises--a call from a worried child, a notice of an overdraft in your bank account, a health alert, or a few inches of standing water in the basement. What absolutely had to be handled today suddenly seems less important, and a fully-packed schedule suddenly opens wide. What if the call were to meet at the park? What if the emergency was that the sunset was spectacular? Would we push the calendar back for those?

That dreadful winter of a hundred inches of snow gave way to this magnificent spring. What a shame it would be to miss this momentary glimpse of heaven, one which I dreamed about all winter, because I was over-progammed or too engaged in "thin things."

I'm still going to make those favors, because right now I have the time-luxury to be invested in a in fun thin thing while I sit with my daughter, basking in this beauty, and watching my grandson try to steal jelly beans.

It's all about priorities.