Did last week's post make anyone else think of bras? That's what I thought of when I re-read the last line. That wasn't what I meant. But I hope you all felt supported in every way last week.
Anywho... So, my cousin is in town and I'm having entirely too much fun with her, so this will be a relatively short post. I love my cousin. She's more like a sister really. And she is the inspiration for this post.
Our discussion topic today is "Mixin' It Up!"
I am a finisher. When I go hiking I don't like to stop and rest. I like to march straight up that mountain. I mean, that's where we're headed, why slow down the process? And the sad thing is, once I get to the top, my focus changes to heading back down to the bottom. I'm that way about most other things too. When I'm cleaning my house, I don't stop until I'm done. It doesn't matter if I'm tired, thirsty, or need to go to the bathroom. I just can't stop until whatever I'm working on is completed.
Enter HH. He is a big time break taker. When we hike, he wants to stop and look at a cool bug or mushroom on the ground. When I was in the middle of doing the dishes (back before he started doing the dishes), he'd come up and pull me over to dance. Sounds romantic, right? I can't tell you how many fights this began. Yes, I'm that focused.
But it's not just about hiking or cleaning. When Sweet P was a baby I kept thinking, "Things will be so much better when she can smile" and then "Things will be so much better when she can eat solids", "Things will be so much better when she can crawl, talk, walk, dress herself, etc." Kind of sad, huh?
Okay, so now for the real point of this post. The thing I try to do now is be more like HH. Whether I'm in the middle of something I enjoy, or something kind of tedious, taking a break to find or create joy makes all the difference. Take the hike, for example. Hiking should be fun and leisurely. If you don't take time to appreciate the beauty of the outdoors, it's just work. Cleaning is going to be work no matter what, so rely on Disney wisdom: "whistle while you work", "just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down", or "just kiss the girl". Or dance with your husband. Or mop. The point is, you can make even the mundane fun if you try.
And when it comes to however you are making your living, this principle is an ESSENTIAL! I worked some pretty boring jobs before becoming a mommy, but I was still able to enjoy most of them. And the one I couldn't, I quit. But if you rely on the income of your job, I'm not advising you to quit. Unless you can find another job. And I recommend finding the other job first. Because I'm an occupation counselor.
Yeah, anyway... Do mix it up and enjoy the mundane. Especially if you get to do something as fabulous as raise children. Now that I have two, time is flying by so fast. Little M is in the cutest, sweetest stage. And every day I know we're one day closer to losing those adorable traits and words and whatnot. I can't believe I didn't fully see it with Sweet P. Luckily, she's still young, so I get to make the most of it now. And I'm enjoying the day-to-day of my life. Sometimes I get stuck in the rut of thinking that my life is boring because we have the same routine nearly every day of the week. Guess what? If I focus on the routine part, it is boring. But if I spice it up with different things, it's awesome. So, sometimes we make Fruit Loop necklaces, go to a museum, have an indoor picnic while we watch a movie, or pause the dusting to dance the Tango with the love of my life. Or have an awesome relative come visit.
What do you do to mix it up? The thing about mixin' it up, is you have to mix up the mix-up. So, give me some new ideas. What do you do to make your life fun and interesting? How do you remember to mix it up and stay out of the rut?
Have a good mixed-up week!
10 comments:
I am also having entirely too much fun with my cousin/sister (you!). Thank you so much for all the special things you've done for me while I'm here. I love you so much more than I can say!
As you sort of know, I've been mixin' it up lately. I've totally changed my day to day existence of waking up, going to work, going home, going to bed to all of that with a few extras thrown in randomly. I don't sleep much anymore because of it, but I'm honestly a much happier person because of it. I can sleep when I'm dead. Family is more important.
I love you!!!
I love mixing things up a lot. Our latest was to die all the mac and cheese pink, milk pink, dessert pink and have a pinkalicious dinner. I have learned to make life more exciting by listening to my crazy 3 year old ideas, she is the best at mixing things up.
A great reminder - Why go through life without the joy that should be the substance of our existence?! Trying to finish my last class has had many interruptions, but I wouldn't trade a single one of them. I find that I'm actually more productive when I break it up.
Great post, Cheryl. My hubby tends to distract me during the dishes too. It's a great reminder to stop and smell the flowers, and joy life's journey.
that last part is supposed to say "and enjoy life's journey."
My kids have the best ideas of how to "mix it up", and if I listen more to their ideas, then we sure have a lot more fun. It's all about being flexible. My 4-yr-old and I like to have tea parties (with REAL water and crackers) and this was actually my idea. It's great because not only does it change our day a little, but it helps her to talk to me about stuff that it's hard to get her to talk about. Changing things up helps build relationships too.
Call a friend I haven't talked to in awhile, eat different foods, try a new class at the gym or a new running route, get a new outfit, do my hair a different way, go out on a weeknight...I have this problem a lot so I have to think of lots of different things to try.
This was so good for me to read. Right now my life is SO mixed up it's almost too much to handle! Class may get canceled, assignments change, my work is so dynamic, I hardly ever do the same thing twice- and I love it! So I see the future after graduation as the end of the fun. Life will be be: work, dinner, sleep, work, dinner, sleep, etc- and I get so depressed just thinking about it! Thanks for reminding me that it's up to me to enjoy life, and not up to my job. I love you!
ps. sorry I didn't give any ideas! here are some:
1. Get rid of your car- then you never know when to plan on being able to borrow one! Life gets so interesting!
2. Go to school. Even though you're in class, your classes are always changing what you learn so it's very mixy upy.
3. Weston and I decided that we wanted a fireplace in our living room, so this saturday we're going to build one! (with huge rolls of paper from the bookstore). To generalize, I guess just don't suppress the silly ideas that come into your head- they're actually the best ideas.
What a great post. We are always trying to come up with new ideas, but lately we have been putting a sheet down in the kitchen and I let parker blow the bubbles. He loves it, makes a mess, but it's fun to see your kids happy.
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