BeansHere in North Georgia it’s been a very dry summer and as a result, I had to buy some hay last week for my cows.  It’s usually December or January before I have to start feeding hay.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t at home when the guy delivered my hay and rolled it off his trailer in front of one of the old chicken houses.  What he didn’t realize was that my tractor was inside that chicken house.  The round bales weigh several hundred pounds each and I need my tractor to move them.  Friday evening as we drove onto the property and I noticed this situation, I blurted out…”I guess I will just have to roll them out of the way so I can get the tractor out.”  Well, the kids thought that sounded like fun and wanted me to get them up early Saturday morning to help.  At first I was thinking, there is no way they will be able to roll the bales of hay and I could get it done so much faster if they were not in the way.  But then I remembered my beans…

A few years ago, I counted out the number of weekends until Louci (my oldest, now 11) graduates from high school.  I subsequently counted out the same number of beans and placed them in a jar.  I was expecting the jar to look full, but surprisingly, it looked almost empty.  Every Sunday I take a bean out and throw it away (there are 355 beans in the jar pictured).   Each week, this is a visual reminder of how little time I have left with my children and it helps me be “present” with them.  A phrase that has become a theme for me this year is to “be present, when present.”  Not just at home, but also in my business.  I don’t know why this is so hard for me, but I think most leaders struggle with the same thing.  We either dwell on the past or dream about the future so much that we totally miss the present.  I’m not much of a dweller on the past, but I’m always thinking about the future and what needs to be done to prepare for that future. I encourage you to count your beans and put reminders in place that will help you remain in the present moment throughout your daily life.

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