Thursday, 14 January 2016

Now is Now

Monday night when I was doing the dishes I noticed that my African Violet, which lives on the kitchen window sill, is blooming. We got this plant from a friend when Steve's grandmother died several years ago, and every time it blooms I see it as a good omen, a sign that Grandma Klages is watching over us.
I've sat with a hot cup of green tea (which I have just started drinking and quite like) reading this book. It is so good. And very thought provoking; I've spent hours, days even, mulling certain concepts and ideas over in my mind.
Crochet. Nothing helps me focus on what is right in front of me more than this wonderfully calming craft. I've been working on my shawl, a somewhat finicky pattern I have to say, but with beautiful results....
I have enjoyed eavesdropping on the girls as they craft. We are not a very scheduled family, more often choosing to stay home together rather than run off to different activities. It makes me incredibly happy to be home with my girls, giving them the time and space to just be. Bridget has been working tirelessly on paper fashion designs (she got a really great kit for her birthday) and while the dresses are "waiting to be decorated" they are lined up on the dresser in the kitchen; seeing them makes me smile and makes me very aware of who my daughter is right now.
Of course this week had its fair share of real life work - I spent an insane amount of time last weekend cooking meals to put in the freezer - and to be honest, I struggled on more than one occasion with what to do: embrace Now by sitting down and reading my book, helping Bridget decide which patterned paper to use as she designed another dress, doing a few rows of crochet OR moving on to the next thing on my list. Constant productivity is a hard habit to break, I am learning. And the feeling that there is always something else to do is a hard feeling to shake. What I think might be the key, is a shorter, less ambitious daily 'to-do' list???

But all in all I do feel like I have been more present this week. I feel less hurried, and I can honestly say that each and every day there were moments when I truly embraced Now, when I looked at what was right in front of me and just took it in.

What were your Now moments this week?

(Not sure what this series is all about, head here for an introduction)

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