Today in the Christian women photographers’ community I’m involved in on Facebook, another photographer mentioned that she would love to hire someone to come in to wash her laundry and put it away. Not sweep her floors. Not cook her meals. Just wash her laundry and put it away for her. Although she’s far away in Philadelphia, she might as well have been standing in my bedroom.Please don’t let that label fool you: I don’t actually “store” Danny’s tee shirts and pajama pants in a storage basket. Although sometimes it sure feels that way.

If you can remember all the way back to November, you might recall that this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged a picture of a laundry hamper. So you might have reached the conclusion that laundry is one of my downfalls. You might, in fact, be right. But the way I see it, there are things much more important than pairing up socks or folding towels. There’s spending time with family and friends. Helping a bride organize plans for her wedding day. Exchanging helpful information with other photographers online. Going to youth ministry team meetings at church. The way I see it, I just don’t have time to keep my house spotless all the time and run a photography business. So a perfectly spic and span house will just have to wait for when I have more time to devote to it.

But then I think about when I will have more free time at my disposal. Once we have babies, spitting up and crying for food and needing fresh diapers? Not likely. Once our business is even busier? I doubt it. Once our future-babies have turned into school kids, with sports and friends and dentist appointments? No way. Once Danny and I are — gulp — retired, and hopefully traveling the world, playing with grandchildren, spending more time in ministry? Not if my busier-than-ever parents are any indication.

Following that line of thought, I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon cleaning instead of working at my computer. I dusted, I vacuumed, I did laundry (but did not get it folded and put away . . . ). My cleaning job isn’t finished, just like my photography jobs are never finished. I’ve started, though. I carved out some time for it, and I’ll be carving out more time for it tomorrow. Because I guess it’s fair to say we only ever get around to the things that are truly important to us.

So tell me — what’s important to you? What are you going to set aside time to work on or enjoy this week?

~ Laura