The Good Life 7.3.2013

the good life is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

it's firework season. explosions and fire usually drive me inside, 
along with the dog.
to temper the anxiety-ridden explosions, i'm listening to soul-fueling music.
and writing. and dreaming. and believing that i have it good. 
really, really good.



 'with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair'
we just returned from a week at the beach. 
a week of sun. 
a week of us.
a week of raw foods for dinner.
a week of peeling skin,
and dreams thought up on the beach.
six days of holes.
six days of running across hot sand, 
while precariously holding beach chairs, an umbrella, towels, shovels, 
and the child too tired to make it home, across that hot sand.
a week of using our stomachs, and the sun, as indication of hunger, and time.
a week together. 
a week apart.
a week of exploration.
a week to watch these children fall in love,
as i did so many years ago, 
and again during this week away.
away, yet deeply connected. 
connected to the smallness of life.
the largeness of nature.
the pattern of the waves.
the pull of the moon.
the beating of their graceful hearts.
 and the flowers in their hair.

 

 'lend me your eyes I can change what you see'

perspective.

it's a valuable thing.

perspective and trust,

now THAT'S a powerful partnership.

belief that i can have a life of joy, 

and time, and peace, and goodness.

a life seen not through rose-colored glasses,

but through a quiet mind,

a connected heart,

and a centered soul.

we can have it all,

even in the mess.

it's before us to hold.

we just have to see it.

and believe it.

  

'have no fear for giving in, have no fear for giving over'

 i can't help but go breathless at the sunrise.

i used to yearn for the sun to rise.

after a long night of nursing,

or teething,

or eczema,

or night-terrors,

or the standard host of needs in the night,

of my little people.

vacation allows for rest, 

even for the grown-ups.

i only woke for one sunrise during the vacation.

part of me was disappointed.

i crave a beach sunrise.

but in the end, 

i gave in to rest.

i gave over to indulgence.

this rise was offered on our last day. 

i was feeling well-rested by then,

and enjoyed indulging in its beauty,

its peace,its patience,

its slow, yet deliberate, pace.

the generosity of the sunrise,

always returning,

morning to morning,

in its splendor.

giving...to those who take the time to receive.

 'for it's only one life that we've got, and ain't it enough'

this is what i love about life.

the daily reminders that this is it.

the passing of hours,

the flipping of calendars,

the inches of our children, marking up the wall.

we do not get these days back.

it's today. this hour. this minute. this breath.

fill it will intention.

embrace it with abandon.

love it with fierce.

trust in it with wholeness.

and live it with spirit.

it's only one life that we've got.

it's a good life in all the middle moments...

between the sand in your underwear and those tender, sun-burned spots.

between the overnight hauls down the interstate, and

the stale coffee from the truck-stop.

the good life lives in those moments in-between -

'we're here! we made it to the beach!'

and

'oh my word, mommy. THAT is the most beautiful sight i've ever seen.'

it's a good life.

The Good Life 6.19.13

the good life is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

stomach flu

 i've always been terrified of the flu.

that image from Stand By Me 

(when everyone is puking after the pie eating contest,)

this is the image that comes to mind.

four kids.

four buckets.

spewing stomach content. 

blech.

and then me, getting the pukes.

i'm breaking into a cold sweat just thinking about it.

we got the stomach flu this year. 

four kids.

FOUR WEEKS.

it was a long month.

but in the mess, i gained some confidence.

i have a pretty good routine down,

and it involves a shit-ton of Clorox.

(graphic lower GI pun intended.)

Drew

Calum

confidence

it's a dance, of sorts.

nurturing the confidence of children,

while getting out of their way.

i believe children are inherently confident,

clouded only by the fear of adults.

she wanted to make an apron for her doll.

 i'm so proud of myself for not getting in her way.

grateful for the awareness, in the moment, to quiet my need for:

order,

a plan,

agreement,

and a clean floor.

she wanted to make an apron for her doll. 

so, she did.

 breathless leaps of faith

if you're lucky, you've experienced these.

most of mine have come on the heels of my children,

but there are a few that came before.

that moment when i'm infinitely aware that i am terrified,

yet life is happening and it is GOOD! 

that moment when all i can do is watch, and breath. 

i am still.

i am quiet.

i am frozen in thought.

i am alive.

i am engaged.

and in the fear, comes the brave. 

because sometimes, being still and present is the bravest thing i can do.

Calum

Ella

thirteen years

it's been thirteen years since:

our marriage-celebrant dropped the f-bomb during our vows, while

we stood by a pond brimming with turtles, as

it rained a soft, gentle Spring storm, and

we drove off for the next 13 years.

it's been 13 years of growing, and

laughing, and

loving, and 

learning, and

creating a life that serves us both, so

we can serve our children.

it's a good life in all the middle moments...

between the vomits and the cleaning-up.

between the overnight hauls when someone is hurting, and

the coffee on the front porch while it rains, before the house starts to stir.

and the drifting weeks in between when i'm yearning to write but 

life has a different priority.

the good life lives in those moments between -

'i'm sorry you didn't get any sleep last night mommy...'

and

'that's ok, love. i'd rather spend the night holding you...'

it's a good life.

sketch of a mom

After reading a great post today from one of my favorite blogs - dear-mom-this-is-real-mom-sketch    - I took two minutes and walked around the house taking snapshots of what it REALLY looks like around here. It's Monday, today, but these pics could be any given hour, any given day.

 

 this is my 'real-mom-sketch'

a moment in time, 

showing my house for what it is, right now.

dirty dishes.

askewed science.

bathroom ruckus.

nightstand mayhem.

OR

i could desscribe it this way...

a humming home, with

time enough for cleaning, and

happy children, with

joyful energy, living

imperfection at it's finest, and

vulnerability to the core.

i am trying, so desperately, to make time stand still -

not so they won't grow, and live, and learn, and leave, and be -

but so that i can just breath-in these moments, 

and live, and learn, and (eventually) leave...because i was able to

BE.

 

The Good Life 3.20.13

the good life is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

quotes
i'm a quote kind of girl.

they are everywhere, in our home.

 my kids will have memories of quotes on the fridge,

on the mirrors,

on windows,

on the clothes washer,

in my car,

and in their lunch boxes.

 not in all these locations at the same time, but...

quotes are BIG, in these parts.

and this quote, this one, speaks especially clearly to me.

there is alot to parenting, and our lives, that are intangible.

  the best i can do is

hold the vision, trust the process.

 

my four
 ha! THESE four.
four blankets.
four different teas (must be to taste.)
four mugs.
four seats.
four sets of hands.
four sets of feet.
four needs.
four joys.
four gifts.
four dreamers.
these four.
my dreams, to the fourth power.

  

 what leprechauns do
in this house leprechauns live on sticks,
and are the cobblers to our beloved fairies.
these three popped-up in various places in the house,
throughout the week of St. Patrick's Day.
merry-makers, these little guys. 
i just smile looking at them.
something about their little hands on their hips...
as if to say, 'come on...what could go wrong?'
not that my four need any nudging;

 there's plenty of mischief, regardless of green clothes and gold buckles.

it's a good life. even with a late winter snow. a blustery first day of Spring.

a diagnosis of Strep after an entire night awake.

it's a good life BECAUSE of these things,

not in spite of them.

it's a good life in all the middle moments...

between the call to doctors and the trip to the pharmacy.

the bird-watching from the sofa, in the morning...

before the warmth of the bed-covers has dissipated from their young little bodies.

the good life lives in those moments between -

'please put down your toy before you spill your milk.'

and

'would you like some help cleaning up your milk?'  

it's a good life.

#fridayfaves 3.2.13

friday is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

A little birdy told me it isn't Friday anymore

a day late, a dollar shorter...

a day longer, a life fuller.

as i write this tonight, i am in such a place of peace and gratitude. 

my children are happy, warm, fed, and comfortable.

my belly is full, as is my spirit.

what's wonderful is this...i'm pretty sure there were some hairy moments this week.

i'm confident that someone went to bed without their hair brushed.

i'm positive i yelled at the wrong time. i'm also positive that karma returned that behavior with dozen eggs broken on the ground.

but tonight...i really don't remember much of anything.

i remember today. 

and if today is my last day to remember, it was a good day.

for today is all that really matters. 

but if tomorrow comes, my focus will turn to it - like my face turning to the sunrise.

a day longer, a life fuller.

many come to a place of gratitude through hardship,

while others find their way to gratitude through the wealth of life.

the hardships in my life have been few. 

i do believe my life is rich.

don't ask me for any money; i have little.

ask me for joy; it's in abundance over here.   

this is an amazing video - please take a moment to watch. 

Gratitude HD - Moving Art™ 

 A Moving Art original short. 

Spend THIS day well.