The Best 3 Minutes of the Day

What can you do in just 3 minutes?

I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately.

It’s really hard to think of much. Read a newspaper article? Maybe, if it’s short. Take a quick shower? We often have to do that, what with us living in a house that seems remarkably uninfested by hot water.

Boil some water. Walk out to the mailbox. Maybe unload the groceries from the car. Answer a question on Jeopardy? Or, in my case, miss a question.

180 seconds.

It’s not much time to do anything. But I found out recently, that maybe I can do more with that small window of time than I ever imagined.

Mornings around our house aren’t quite chaotic, but it’s in the same zip code. My son and I are both morning people, so that helps. And I keep all the clocks in my house at least 5 minutes fast (a whole nother story) and that helps, too.

I’m in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, vitamins for my son, for me. Making a school lunch – wait, have I eaten any fruit this morning. Trash goes out (if needed), get the dishes washed (will be needed). Finish with the breakfast, pour some milk, add a banana, and – Taa-daa: breakfast is served.

And speaking of magic, my son then proceeds to make is breakfast disappear in a fraction of the time it took me to get it all ready. I found that frustrating at times, until he made a comment about it.

“I’m sorry I eat that so fast,” he said, with a true tone of contrition. “But that breakfast I have every morning is the best 3 minutes of my day.”

Wow. I would never have guessed. That the meal I made for him every morning was so important to him. Or that ANYONE actually liked my cooking.

But it’s not the cooking that makes the difference. It’s that time we can spend together before the demands and chaos of the day pulls us apart and sends us spiraling in our lives.

Three minutes. It’s not much time. But sometimes that’s all it takes to make a difference in the lives of those who are important to us.