Thursday, January 26, 2006

Mental Note

I was not looking forward to this mornings walk with the dog.

I prepared. My body was somewhere under 2 fleeces and a coat. I wore gloves and a hat but my cheeks froze and toes ached the minute we entered fresh air. Dude did seem to notice the hard frost as he pulled his paws a bit higher and more often than usual. We walked.

I began to notice that the mud was frozen. It was much easier to walk on frozen ground than when mud-planing. A bright light began to appear in the sky. It seemed inconsequential at first. Then I started to feel it contained that warmth --a spring sun. The ground glistened,the birds sang, Dude behaved and I soaked in the rays.

Mental note to use on the kids in one of those teachable moments:

Life is like walking the dog. You may anticipate the worst and sometimes have to endure it. But you never know when it will surprise you. Don't forget the surprises in life.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

A Moment

Okay I am finally getting over my Christmas holiday hangover and stumbling back online. I don't make New Years Resolutions (my self discipline is lacking) but if I did I know what it would be for 2006.

My holidays this year were lovely . But as always they were a wild mix of no schedule, decorating, cooking, wrapping and checking the giving list twice. Preparation and more preparation, followed by cleaning and more cooking mixed with some lazy days of reading in front of the fire in between odd shifts working at the hospital.

This year as I have come out of the holidays into some forced anual leave time. You see if I don't take my anual leave/vacation time before April I will lose it. So I am on vacation but still I feel my days are filled to the brim with cleaning ,cooking , Dude walking, kids birthday party planning, self improvement opportunities...a endless to do list of unending activity. I don't mind doing each of the things on my list individually but as it is now I finish one to rush to the next. It's misery.

But back to the new years resolution I never make. If I was to make one this year I would say I am going to enjoy each moment in time. Because it isn't the moments that get me down --its the day. I love the chance to sit in front of the fire as I eat breakfast. I love the moments spent stoking the fire. I don't mind listening to music while I clean the kitchen. I find vacuuming satisfying when I use a Dyson and you can see all that dust and stuff accumulating in the clear chamber. When I breath in the momments deeply and take time I find "life is good". I think 2006 is going to be a very good year.