You run into a friend that you haven’t seen in a while in the checkout lane. You chat about the weather, what you have been doing and then before you know it, out comes the b word. Before you know it you have used it 10 times as you talk about work, family and the next season of school that is just around the corner.

You both check out and keep chatting as you walk to the parking lot. Your friend asks if you have time to get coffee in a few days and you quickly default to that b word again.
“Sorry, I’m so busy this week.”
The words feel shallow and weak as they roll off your tongue. Your friend must be getting sick of hearing that b word by now and you are also starting to become self-conscious of it.

After saying goodbye you get in your car and sit for a moment and question yourself about how busy you really are.

“Busy” may feel like a safe place to hide but it’s a miserable place to stay.
It’s funny because there are times in life when we will be honestly busy and in those times I hope to do my best to manage my time well. But that decision has to be made before we get busy for it to work. When we allow our value to come from that b word we run the risk of losing out on the most important things in life.
Things like real relationships, real conversations, and real challenges.