Moment of Clarity

The last couple of months, my husband and I have been talking about building a covering for our deck.  We talked about retractable awnings, a gazebo-like structure and many variations in between.  Do we do it ourselves or hire someone?  Do we find plans or design our own?   We were caught in the – I’m not sure – trap.  You know the one, where every idea is OK, but just not winning either (or both) of you over.   So we waited, and talked about it, and measured, and investigated – yet were still on the fence.

Then, a few days ago we were outside enjoying our deck, sitting in the sun when an idea hit me.  Not just any idea, the right idea.  I said it out loud to my husband and he agreed.   By the next day, we had drawn up plans and a shopping list and scheduled the build (that we will do ourselves, for much less money than we orginally had thought).

I had the moment of clarity when we were in the space enjoying ourselves.  Not thinking about or trying to solve the problem.  You know you have experienced similar moments of clarity yourself.  I would love to hear about them!

The Power of Playing

Last week I posted this question on Facebook – “What did you like to do as a child”?   Several friends responded with comments like climbing trees, coloring and drawing, playing with their Easy Bake oven, reading Nancy Drew and putting on plays.  I added painting and playing in the mud!

These comments got me inspired.  I started remembering not just what I did as a child but what it felt like to be absorbed in play – pure fun, imagination and giddyness!  I’m excited that I have already brought a sense of that back into my life with my painting but I realize I want to engage in more activities that feel like play – and more importantly to look at what I am alrady doing as play instead of work.

For example, this weekend I spent several hours in the garden transplanting, pruning, cleaning… but this time, remembering my love of playing in the mud, I experienced greater pleasure in where I was and what I was doing!

Some ideas I have to add more fun… checking out books from the childrens section at the library – maybe re-reading some Nancy Drew, watch some G rated movies, finally climb that rock wall at the gym…

How do you keep that sense of play alive in your life?

How would you like to?

Shifting Back to Balance

As often does in life, the unexpected came up in the form of a string of medical appointments for my dad.  As his only family here in NC, it was necessary for me to accompany him to most of them.  Now for someone as scheduled as I am my first reaction was a bit of panic – and the question “how will I be able to juggle everything? was ringing loudly in my ear.   The answer quickly surfaced that I couldn’t juggle it all without sacraficing my health and sanity – and my relationship with my father. 

I reminded myself that as a self employed person I have the luxury of creating (and modifying) my own schedule – something I often forget when filling it to the brim.   So I made some decisions.    I let go of whatever was not a necessity right now and moved some other things around where they were a better fit.  I am also practicing saying no or not right now to other things that come up.  

Once I looked at what mattered most to me and prioritized those things into my schedule first, the rest was easier to let go of.  And it is just for now, while this wave of activity with my dad is here.  When it passes, I’ll shift again. 

Making the decision to clear large chunks of time in my schedule was incredibly freeing.  It brought a sense of relief and peace, knowing I can make the time for what matters most in the moment.

What needs to shift in your life – for now?