Five minutes that’ll make your day — and your life — better.

“Being more mindful”

“Being more present”

“Meditating more”

“Spending more time in prayer”

“Nurturing the spirit more”

Please tell me that I am not the only one who feels guilty at the mention of “yoga,” “meditation,” “mindfulness” and “prayer,” with my first thoughts being something along the lines of I should do that MORE.

And please tell me that I am not the only one who often feels as if there truly isn’t room for anything MORE in my life — that my responsibilities, worries, and interests seem to have the properties of water in the gaseous state: expanding to fill all available space.

I am the kind of person who looks at a book about being more grateful and thinks, “Great, another thing for me to feel guilty about!”  I tend to recoil from things that purport to be “encouraging” for fear they’re going to make me feel worse somehow.

“Quiet times” and “devotional times” were a big part of the Christian culture I grew up in, and they were always something that everyone was trying to work HARDER at and do MORE of. Wake up early and pray FOR AN HOUR. Read THE WHOLE BIBLE.

Now, I am not denigrating these activities. I am simply querying the idea of MORE, and of “devotions” and “mindfulness” as activities that are separate from, you know, cleaning the bits of gunk out of the kitchen drain.

My husband washed the windows for Thanksgiving, and ever since I felt like something MORE has been added to my life. The light and the trees are MORE beautiful. But all he did was wipe away some (most) of the dirt that was occluding the view.

Jen Grant, who I am blessed to call a friend, has written a beautiful book that offers 5 minute (or less) reflections — windows — especially for mothers. Wholehearted Living isn’t about doing MORE or feeling GUILTY.

It’s kind of about taking five (5!) minutes to wash the windows of your heart, soul, and mind, and letting a bit of light in.

What a gift.