Trimming the Fruitless Branches

We do not have fruit trees and the closest thing I have to a green thumb is the broccoli stuck between my teeth. Nonetheless with spring and all of it's symbolic newness I have decided to spring clean my life by trimming my fruitless branches. I have finally, after a year of insisting that this is not the case, decided that I am too busy. I work part time, substitute teach when jobs are available, am in a women's Bible study, a marriage class, a couple's Bible study, church, gym 3-4x a week, training for my first real race, volunteer commitments, my fair share of the household responsibilities, and school testing fast approaching (which I should be studying for right now.)

Greg isn't any less busy. He's going to school full time, doing the GI Joe thing when duty calls, and is starting his new job (Praise God!). We are lucky if we get one evening a week at home together that resembles anything remotely like relaxation and I'm just sick of running the rat race. That's why we left California... for a slower pace of living and a much higher quality of life. Well will someone please tell me when having a "high quality of life" meant being the busiest?

Looking ahead to the summer and all of the days at the lake, bbq's with friends, hiking, gardening, and the list of other things we'd like to do just don't seem possible with what we're currently juggling. There may be more hours of daylight, but there are still only 24 hours in a day. So on to my point: I am trimming the fruitless branches in my life. There are things I am doing right now that, no matter how much I enjoy them, are not bearing any "fruit." These branches need to be trimmed so that my energy can be applied to other areas of my life that are bearing "fruit."

I hope that someday I will look back at my tree and feel like I made good choices.