Living All In

Let’s do things a little different this week. Let’s talk about firsts. They say you never forget your first. First bike, first kiss, first car, first….other things. My first bike was a two wheeler. It was a little tall for me. I remember I had to climb onto our front garden landscape beams to successfully mount it. I received my first and only, thank the Lord, concussion while riding that bike, which led to my very first bike helmet. My first kiss (sadly) was not with my husband. Still, I fondly remember both it and the passionate young man who administered it. I hope his ending has been as happy as mine. My first car was a little blue Honda hatchback. It used to stop running every time it rained, leaving me stranded in some….hmmm…memorable places. One of which would not have been quite so memorable if I had remembered to pull the emergency brake. Oops. I remember the first time I tried on my wedding dress and knew it was right. I remember being terrified and excited signing...

So….last week, I had the brilliant idea to take a breath, slow down, smell roses, bake bread.   Aannnddd….life blew a big, fat, juicy raspberry at me. I went straight from the library to haircuts, from haircuts to ball pictures and an extra practice, then fell into bed exhausted.   Life does that sometimes.   It takes the plans you had and upends them. In those situations, only one thing matters. Attitude. Charles Swindoll, author of The Grace Awakening, said: “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” With each situation last Tuesday, I had a choice.   I could have been aggravated that an extra practice was scheduled on the ONLY free night I had all week, and that I had to pick up special “for boys only” protective equipment without my husband or the kid in question. Instead, I took advantage of the fact that Academy Sports is right next to PetsMart and picked up live plants for my fish. Then my toddler and I bebopped over...

Today I’m taking a breath.   I’m going to go to the library with my son. Then, we’re going to make banana bread together. It’s going to take triple the time and make twice the mess. But you know what? I DON’T CARE. I’m taking a breath. My schedule has been weighing on me. My to-do list is the monster in my closet, and my writer’s block keeps popping it’s head around the corner saying “Nah nah na nah nah.” Yeah. It’s past time to take a breath. And realize… I have the power to slow my world down. It may not be pretty. Or easy. But I can. I can say “no.” I’m padlocking my closet. My to-do list is staying in there today. If I’m learning anything with age, it’s that there’s enough time for the important things if you let the unimportant things be. And I’m keeping it short this week, my peeps. Because as much as I love sharing my words with you, I love being a mom and a wife more. Present and Unplugged. Take a breath today. If it’s not alive, it can wait. Get out and e...

This week, let’s tackle procrastination. On second thought, maybe we can do it next week. I’m kidding…sort of. Seriously, if procrastinating were an Olympic sport, I would medal.   I have a gift.   I camouflage it by procrastinating with something constructive.   For example, right now I am writing this post while avoiding my entire “get it done before your in-laws come” list.   Later, I’ll be avoiding this post while I clean. They say you’re supposed to do the thing you dread the most first.   Once you get it over with, you can be productive the rest of the day. Some days that works for me.   Other days…well, I haven’t made my dentist appointment and I’ll be hiding my unwashed muffin tin in my oven. Out of curiosity, I googled why people procrastinate, and was floored by the number of hits.   Apparently, there are as many reasons for procrastinating as there are people who are doing it.   So, why me?   What are my reasons? I...