I read on the internet today that ten minutes of singing can dramatically change your life. I tell my clients, and I have heard others say it, that a ten-minute walk can solve most problems.

Last week I had ten minutes. Taking out the trash, aware of time ticking and the things I wanted to accomplish that day, the brown withered and soggy leaves of our yellow primroses caught my eye. I plant new flowers each season in our front porch pots, a gift from my dear friend Angela. The angel terracotta pots belonged to her aunt Beth and when she died, Angela wanted me to have them. Each season I dig out the withered annuals and plant something new, seasonal and full of life. I planted the yellow primroses the day after the whole Zelensky oval office debacle. I planted yellow for the people of Ukraine and for President Volodymer Zelensky. These yellow petals– bright and brilliant–symbolizing that I stand with them.

The time I spend planting is always sacred. It is time for me and one of my favorite things–flowers. The time is also not very long, often ten minutes. It doesn’t take long to dig out the old plant, put it in the yard waste and add the leftover soil into our veggie garden or flower beds. After planting the new one, sweeping the porch and watering barely any time has passed.

Ten minutes of creative-Cup filling-life giving, joyful time.

As I picked off the old petals yesterday to make room for the new buds that were covered up by ones that had passed their bloom time, a neighbor who lives just a block and a half away walked by. It had been a couple of years since I had seen her and the first time seeing her since her adult son died. I had connected briefly with her husband and heard the sad news of their son but had not had an opportunity to connect.

As we talked about her son, the fact that we both had different versions of the same tree currently full of buds that will burst open any day now, life after death, good coffee, and where to get good pastry–I was thankful I took the time to linger at my front porch. When I stepped outside to take out the garbage and bring in the mail it was then that the withering buds caught my eye. If I hadn’t lingered, fiddled with the plants I wouldn’t have seen my neighbor and connected on the sidewalk in the springtime sunshine. Meaningful connection–another one of my favorite things.

What is your heart calling you to? Is there a ten-minute task, activity that will provide just the nourishment you are craving?

Two weekends ago, my retreat partner and I picked the theme Time for You, for that Sunday’s gathering. We wanted to give the attendees a break from their responsibilities at home and provide dinner. They only had to plug into themselves instead of their phone, leave the dishes to us, and show up to their hearts, making space to listen to what their souls had to say. Besides giving them time to reflect on their values I asked them to ponder how they want to spend their time after they leave our cozy retreat space. On a daily level. What needs to be made a priority?

I have been carrying that with me. What are my priorities? Time to read, write, and be outside–my top three this season of my life. So how do I do it? Ten minutes at a time. After my non-negotiable of a ten-minute meditation before even stepping out of bed each morning I brew my hot water. As the water brews, I choose reading or writing. Before you know it ten minutes are gone and I have spent the time doing something that fills my heart rather than scrolling on my phone or doing something else that for me is wasting my time, not living it.

Time is precious. And that day on my front porch I was made incredibly aware that the time for me and my potted primroses rippled out to so much more. I connected with another human and in a time of disconnection of the United States, that means everything to me.

When I receive time as a gift, my Cup is filled. As I honor the ways I want to show up to the gift of time, I become happier, more grounded, present, and aligned with my values.

Mama Needs a Refill: Finding Light in the Midst of Madness, the title of my book, years after writing it and less than two years after it being published, reminds me that all those years, minutes, pages and effort was time well spent. For now, the words on the page whisper in my ear not only when I sit with a client, but when I sit with myself. I intended the book for others, and it is slowly making an impact but the impact it is having on my present life is profound. In the book, I point out to the reader the time I “wasted” when our kiddos were little. This reminds me that I choose to spend my time purposefully even if picking off dead petals to allow the sunshine to touch the hidden buds or ten minutes breathing when I feel disconnected from myself.

I will say it again, time is precious. How will you spend the next ten minutes?

Cheers, Jenny