This was my view for the afternoon yesterday. After picking up big brother at the airport, then taking them both for a quick tour of my old neighborhood in Dallas, they desperately wanted to go play in the creek. I desperately needed to get some work done. So we met in the middle. I literally took a TV tray, a lawn chair and my laptop down to the creek, so they could play and I could work. (Take a wild guess how much work I got done.)
Do you have a love/hate relationship with the “freedom” of the summer schedule too?
I love the extra time with the boys and there’s a huge part of me that wants to abandon all else to just play, play, play the summer away. After all, there are vacations to plan, friends by the pool, and cookouts happening nonstop. Then there’s the adult in me, who has work, responsibilities, projects, and a seemingly never-ending list of things that need to be done.
It’s easy to feel guilty either way.
It’s the conundrum of the summer and sometimes trying to squeeze it all in can leave us feeling even busier than usual. But I wonder what would happen if somehow we focused less on doing everything right, and focused more on doing the right things. I have a hunch we’d feel more at peace and enjoy the whole summer conundrum a little bit more.
Here are a few of the things I’m focusing on this summer: (They’re small, but when I do them, the payoff feels big.)
- Practicing more gratitude – noticing the moments when things are especially good, when the boys are laughing (or sleeping in), when the mornings are cool or the flowers are stunning – and whispering a word of gratitude, in that moment.
- Putting my phone down for long spells – to be present with my family more often than usual
- Sleeping in, just a hair – this is changing my life actually. (I’ve got to find a way to get to bed earlier during the school year!)
I’d love to hear what you have a tough time with trying to do right in the summer and what right things you’re focusing on doing more of.
Life is a constant ebb and flow. We navigate it best when we do it together.
to more love,
Crystal
