Doing Less to Make Room for More
It's been awhile since we chatted! I blame it on Summer. The days are long (anyone else's kids stay up much later, but still wake up at the crack of dawn?). The utter exhaustion at the end of the night when I lay my head on my pillow leaves me wondering if I will make it through another day.
There is so much to love about Summer, and I seem to always look at the summer months with rose colored glasses believing that they were or will be the sun kissed skin, giggle filled, popsicle eating, joy filled, out of a movie scene perfect days.
In the thick of Summer though, the lack of routine threatens to swallow me whole. We seem to never stop on Summer days, trying to soak up every ounce of the few months we have to be outside in the warmth, and yet the housework and meals never get the vacation memo. It feels like I am constantly chasing my tail trying to keep up with the daily chores while also trying to create epic summer fun.
Add in there that this Summer I'm also a full time recreational activity director for my kids, since there is no baseball, library programs, VBS, or community pool, and I was about to wave the white flag last week.
Then I read this from She Works His Way...
This right here is called a perspective shift. Without ever thoughtfully making the choice, I was adding in MORE of everything without ever taking anything down to LESS. Or at least I was not accepting of the LESS, clinging to what I have had in other calmer seasons.
Simply taking the time to acknowledge that I have less quiet, and more chaos, made me feel as if everything is going to be ok. It's a season, and the quiet will come again.
It may seem silly, but sitting down to actually write down what I am doing less of was a huge relief. We don't have to do it all. Every season will not be the same, and it doesn't mean that we won't ever be able to do more of it again.
This is a temporary less, so that I can enjoy the chaotic, loud, late summer evenings - fully enjoying popsicles and chasing fireflies because I am not trying to rush my kids to finish the popsicles so that they can get in the shower before dark. The sprinkler will do just fine.
What are you doing LESS of this Summer to make way for MORE? I would love to hear!
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