Catholic Husband

Love / Lead / Serve

Make Evenings Count

My job frequently results in me working evenings. It isn’t particularly fun, it is just a fact of life. Of course, I make up for my hours by starting work later in the day.

However, during the slow seasons, I’m often home around 5 (I live fairly close to the office). It is then that I have a five hour time block to do whatever I’d like.

So, each evening, I have five hours to decide what I’d like to do. Some of that time will be given to preparing, eating, and cleaning up after dinner. Other parts of that time will be dedicated to getting ready for bed and reading.

But what about the rest?

I used to be of the opinion that there “wasn’t enough time” so I’d just squander it on the internet or watching TV. After a few weeks, I came to recognize it as a relaxing part of my day. It is a necessary wind down period where you can process your day. Watching TV may be satisfying in the moment, but perhaps you want to go do something that will have longer lasting effects. I get up, exercise, go labor in the fields, and then come home to a place of refuge.

I like to spend some of the time with my wife. We both have things that we need to get done in the evening, but there is still some of those minutes that we can spend together.

Basically, I want to spend the time in a way that reflects my values. I want to have quality time with my wife, time for self-improvement, and time for finishing off my to-do list for the day.

It’s an important lesson in not neglecting evening the small periods of time that you have complete control over. Make choices that reflect what you value. Make evenings count.