Spring fever

My struggle this month: staying in the moment

I realized I was having a hard time with being present when I found myself dependent on my calendar-style planner. The first thing I did every morning the last couple of weeks was make coffee and open the planner so I could review the day's (week's? month's?) schedule. It was as if my mind had to constantly tic off our activities and events like tasks on a to-do list..... which is fine until you realize there is no prize at the end for accomplishing all the tasks. The prize is being present at each event! Whether it was a baseball game, practice for ______ (piano, baseball, gymnastics, track....) or school meeting I knew that scheduling was important - but enjoying the event as it was happening was even more important!

So I worked a little harder to put away the calendar and not focus so much on planning out our lives but more on enjoying it. I helped Sam make home made ice cream and I asked Hamp to help me make dinner. And when I drove car pool for gymnastics I actually stopped and sat still for 10 minutes (could've been less?!) and watched the deer cross the street as the sun set. Last Sunday, Sam picked up pine cones and washed the car; Hamp mowed the yard; I put up the hammock and then promptly took a nap in it!!!!

It is said that you can't appreciate the yin without the yang, the heat without the cold, the happy without the sad. Perhaps it goes too for appreciating the down time. Moments might not seem so precious if we didn't fill up so many of them with activity! I am glad to have both busy and quiet moments in our lives lately.

Baseball games & bubbles: