Have you seen the colors this spring? I am simply blown away by the pinks, yellows, whites, and what I like to call, kiwi greens, all dotting the landscape. My husband and I went on a walk a few days ago with our pup and I simply had to stop and breathe in a moment. Picture a back drop with a fuchsia setting sun, framed by the most glorious pink, cherry blossom trees, with more of the same blossoms strewn all upon the ground. It was an absolutely perfect sight. While I didn’t have my camera in tow, the experience will stay with me. I bring this up because I was able to connect with nature, my hubby and my pup because I followed one of my own suggestions from one of my prior blogs. I dropped a ball.
No, not my kids’ soccer and lacrosse balls. I allowed an undertaking to slip from the abundance of commitments I have on my calendar. Perhaps you may not have noticed, but I did not post a blog last week. While the little devil sitting on my shoulder started maliciously whispering, “Ohhh no…you are not following through on your commitments. Shame on you! Skip this one week and you’re setting yourself up for failure,” I simply breathed through that little turd of negative-self talk, and focused on my sanity. Last week, I gave a small talk on Simplifying and Organizing your Space at my local library. As it was the first presentation I have ever given…well, at least since college and hell, they didn’t have powerpoint back then, I felt I really needed to focus on preparing that content as opposed to this one. Yes, I did use my planner and had consistently scheduled working sessions for the presentation in the prior months. However, it still required some final touches. Instead of driving myself crazy, staying up late and fitting everything in, I decided to put the blog off for a week. As a result, I was able to fit my priorities: work, train for the sprint triathlon I’m preparing for, get my kids to their sporting events (HUGE shout out to my village here!), get myself to coaching Girls on the Run, put meals on the table, and connect with my peeps. Here I am this week, back at my computer, enjoying writing and sharing with all of you. I’m glad I flicked that little demon off his perch.
Sometimes it’s the angel on your shoulder who might be getting you into trouble. What?! The angel? Impossible. Yes, it’s true. Recently, the angel wanted me to stay indoors and finish cleaning. After all, I do write this blog now, and heaven forbid any of my neighbors came in and saw my house less than organized. My little cherub was sitting there telling me to stay in, clean and organize. Otherwise, how will I be able to keep up with all I want to do? Well, that little angel got the boot too. I went out and biked and shot hoops with my kids. It was by far, another amazing and glorious moment of this spring, and just thinking of it warms my heart. My house eventually got tidied. No biggie.
While it’s important to remember to get things done and keep our time and space organized, it is just as important to use those same tools (the planners, our villages) to assist us in connecting with the cherished people in our lives, and with nature. The outdoors always gives our spirits a boost, especially this time of the year. Keep that Spring time sanity. Go ahead and schedule those priorities. Just make sure the things in your life don’t supersede people and connection. Keep what’s most valuable front and center, and remember to dust off your shoulders now and then, wink-wink!
Chaos to Calm 