It's okay to pause and rest. In fact - it is necessary. Over the past few weeks I have seen people on social media trying to be all the things to everyone. It's not necessary and you are only setting yourself up for burn out and you are teaching your family to have huge expectations for you. Use this time to slow down and teach what a balanced life can look like. Build into your family with your time and attention - not continuous activities. Allow them time and space to use their imagination. It's how they discover their gifts, what they like to do - it provides them a safe space to learn who they are and at any age it helps them move toward what they will eventually study in school and choose as a career. Don't get in their way. Not only do our children need the time and space - but so do we. I have been making more time to write in my journal, to sit and read a magazine (I don't know when the last time was that I actually bought a magazine or looked at one) and to deep clean a few neglected areas of my home. I have made getting exercise and drinking more water a regular part of my day. I have been figuring out how to use my Fitbit to help with my daily choices. Since my car accident I have had a difficult time trying to find ways to be active that didn't hurt or cause me to be dizzy. About a month ago I started doing this video, it was such a great way to get me moving again and it is designed for all levels. You can even sit in a chair to do it if you need to. I have now been able to move onto other videos on this YouTube channel. I would encourage you to check it out. In just a few weeks I feel noticeably different. There are so many good reasons to choose to push that pause button and enjoy each moment and find gratitude in this time.
Tonight around the supper table ask your family what their favourite moment was from the last few weeks. It is a good way to keep the focus on the positive and also a great way to find out more about your family. If you would like to share their answers in the comments I would love to hear them. 🙂
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When you feel like your life is controlling you - then you know that things must change. Firstly, I am tired of being connected all the time. Cell phones have made life easier in some aspects but far too difficult in others. By being at your cell phones beckon call you are separating yourself from those around you. The picture above is a clear explanation of that. I would never want my family members to feel that way, but I know at times they do. It is time to make change - here is what I have done to start making changes:
Not only are we making changes with how we interact with our phones but also that black rectangle in our living room. A couple of years ago we built a house, it's not finished yet. I am married to a contractor, it probably won't be finished when we celebrate our 50th anniversary. 😁 But that's okay because it is about the family that lives in it, not it's finishes. When we were working with the engineers we designed a room around our TV. We dedicated a room so that our family can sit around and be entertained by box on the wall. Why did we choose to do this? Now we are seeing the err in our ways and we are making changes. I have disconnect our cable, and honestly we do not miss it. There are a couple of shows that we like to watch and we can catch them online and we have Netflix. It is amazing to see how many other things that we can find to do now that we are not focused on that box on the wall and we are saving $100 a month! Score! Take time to figure out what this looks like in your life. Where are you investing your time? I have to admit that I come across as a confident person, but really I am a chicken! Far too often I give up too easily, I start off strong but then I get in my own way. This is something that I will never have to stop working on. I know deep down in my gut things that I need to do and yet I still hold back. Why oh why do I continually do that! Am I the only one that does this? I am making a list of what I know I need to do and I am going to put my view of myself and my abilities to the side and I am going to Be Bravely ME! Why am I choosing this? Because others may be missing out on something that I can share with, a way that I can encourage them, a life lesson that they can relate to.
So here I am making a public proclamation that I will actively choose to begin working on what the still small voice has laid heavy on my heart. Ready, set, here I go!!!!!!! Life sometimes just feels so full. Sometimes too full. I am wondering how it got that way.
Since having health problems for over a year now, I have tried to slow down and yet I still feel like I am running around like a crazy person. At the end of the day I continue to ask myself, "What did I accomplish today?" And sometimes I can't think of anything but yet my day felt so full. Why do I choose to do this to myself each day? I know I need to slow down. I had physio today and yikes am I sore right now. I felt really good when I came home but right now I feel really tight and sore, and well, like a truck hit me. Physiotherapists really know how to hurt a person. :) But I know that I will continue to get better from this. That all of this pain will help me in the long run. Kinda sounds like life lessons. Well, it is how it works for me most of the time. You know the character building exercises that we go through in our lives? It really sucks when you are in those places in your life, but then in the end when you can see what you were learning and how it helped you. In a weird and yet wonderful way it all seems worth it in the end. I guess that is what physio is going to do for me. I am not going to feel like a 90 year old woman anymore. I will be able to run and play with our daughters again. I wish I wasn't in this place right now but I know that I am taking the right steps, on the right path to get to where I need to be. I just have to figure out how to slow down this ride of life that seems like it is spinning out of control. I know I need to cut somethings out of my life, but where do you start cutting? Who do you cut? I was talking to my husband about having to cut some things and he asks me, that if I decided to leave something, "Who is going to lose out from having me involved?" It is interesting to look at things from the larger perspective - I start cutting things that I wouldn't mind losing, but what effect is that going to have on other people? There is more to life than ourselves. Even though that is what the media likes to teach us - 'Life is all about me!" Someone else is always going to be affected by every decision that we make. Man! I thought I had difficult decisions to make before, but now it got even worse! So now my brain hurts along with my back. So I am going to bed, and hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I will try to take my day bit by bit and enjoy the day with my husband and our daughters and not worry about the next thing on my to-do list that I feel I need to cross off. Hey, I bought a new purse today! Life is good! It seems that in December the crazies set in. I start to feel dizzy with all that is going on in our family.
This December I am trying to be intentional with how I invest my time and energy. It doesn't always work out the way that I plan. But I have found so much more enjoyment in this Christmas season than I have in years. So how I have I chosen to be intentional?
Each morning as we put our feet on the floor we have a day full of opportunites ahead of us. Make them count! Here is a list of ways that you can make the best of our life! Enjoy every day!
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