Taking All the Time in the World

Living life in the moment is not as easy as it sounds. Remarkably, I have been living life full throttle and intend to continue to do so but now and then, I slow down to think, to ponder and take all the time in the world. It might not look like it, in fact I am sure that it doesn't, but I do.

Tomorrow, the great adventures of Florida begin for me and my extended family and friends. I have been plotting and scheming activities and suitcases. I have slowly packed and repacked until I minimized the luggage and maximized the timeline to still allow for relaxing time. The house is going to be well tended and is clean, and for the moment, all those pesky details like laundry and dishes are done. I usually pack the night before but this time, I have taken two weeks to sort and think.

I have taken time by making appointments with myself to go to the gym and dance, despite the workload and knowing that I need to put more time in at the office. The girls and I had a whole weekend at a hip hop dance convention last weekend that stretched the muscles, mind and imagination. By the end of the weekend, we had learned about house, hip hop, breaking, popping, video choreo versus stage shows and freestyle battles. Wow. Surrounded by talent, I loved the teaching and gentle instruction that was offered. This was time that I borrowed for myself to learn and dance. There is something about the sheer joy of movement and musicality that I appreciate and love. There is a reason that while at Starbucks for coffee, I accidently found myself dancing. Blushing, I said thank you when another lady commented "I like your groove." I hadn't even realized I was dancing in the line. Through dance and the gym, I am focusing on health and mental well being. It is a priority that only happens when I take the time. And it is the easiest time to give away to those that want it.

Sometimes, the to do list can wait. I have taken some time away from writing even, which usually relaxes me and helps me to process my thoughts. However, my usually quirky organized self has had some issues with thinking happy thoughts and quite frankly, I don't usually share the darker shades of blue. Instead, I decided that it was OK to take the time to think and to ponder life. Life is fluid, and full of changes. I have been watching the Canadians participate in the Olympics and have seen some incredible things. I love it when an athlete does their best. The ski being given by the Canadian coach to the Russian skier was amazing. The story of the Swiss skier waiting for the Peruvian skier to finish was tear jerking for me. The sportsmanship and drive is wonderful to watch while the freestyle and snowboarding sports are fun to watch for the tricks and commentary. Only in Canada does our silver medalist apologize. (Read the book How to Be A Canadian by Will Ferguson sometime - there is a whole chapter on how Canadians say sorry). It was a SILVER MEDAL. YAY! I certainly couldn't do it.

Despite the stress of my work week and trying to get ready for a big trip, I still took time with my family to watch my friends' young ladies perform in Les Miserables. The music of the show with the fabulous community acting was tremendous. Sometimes, by being supportive, you are richly blessed and for our town, this was truly a triumph of hard work and dedication. My youngest asked good historical questions and my eldest was fascinated by the sets. In addition, there was an art show and we spent time looking at the lovely prints. My artistic child was so fascinated by one print that it seemed to belong to us, and now it is on our wall. It was titled Corsage from the Secret Garden exhibition.

I think the point is as the winter cold and chills take their toll, and as I have witnessed a wonderful woman navigate her way through grief, and seen others struggle a bit this winter, I have learned the value of thinking things through. For example, before posting lyrics to a fb page, I really listened to my instincts and thought about it for three days before deciding that the message was too good not to share. The words were so resonant with me, that I shared. I have owned my mistakes, and I have made a concious effort to look for the high road. Do or do not, there is no try. Advice has been taken freely and used. I have wise and amazing friends that I really love and appreciate for who they are and as for my girls, sometimes I learn so much from them.

In a wretched debate with my eldest this evening, I found myself losing. She hates her elastics for her braces. They are to be worn when not engaged in eating or sports. The debate raged over breaking the jaw and headgear versus elastics, to which she said she liked her teeth the way they are. Money and health were discussed with vim and the educational qualifications of the orthodontist were showcased to no avail. After all, she doesn't have to wear them for sports. When I stared blankly at her, I was told in no uncertain terms why she didn't have to wear them.

"Life is a Sport."

Ummmm....yeah....I need to think about this some more.

Mom?

Spontaneous Moments: Don't Think

Don't think. Don't. I know you think that you want to think it over, think about things, plan, scheme it out, perhaps even plot. Don't. What is the worst thing that can happen?

Sometimes, there needs to be time for the unexpected, the unplanned. I love that air of uncertainty that comes with someone showing up unannounced. Or that moment that you decide to go for coffee and a friend tags along. Quality time doesn't have to be planned but it certainly needs to be appreciated when it is offered. After a rather challenging exploration of my workday, which including discovering that I missed a course that I was supposed to be at due to other work issues that came up and put that out of my mind, I was rather relieved to get to the gym and work out some of the kinks. It was zumba so I donned my brightest of orange and purple to cheer myself up. But it was the conversation afterwards and the spontaneous cuppa with another lady that soothed my mood back to some semblance of normal.

I came home to yet another friend. Awesome! She strummed music and chilled out while I basically sat back and relaxed. The best part was she had even parented the girls so I didn't have to. I just have to remember that the youngest is requiring a fort building lesson in structure and design. That won't be spontaneous...

School starts on Monday. It really does. Most people that know me understand that I am crazy and keep a hectic schedule in the hopes of maintaining a healthy lifestyle full of opportunities. Heaven forbid that I miss out on anything afterall. But the one thing that I appreciate most of all is the random acts of visiting. Random acts of tourism? Sometimes even that funny text message or facebook post. Not everything in my world is on the timetable, nor should it be.

How many of you have taken the time out of your day to reach out to someone else? There are those that I know that struggle with the everyday business of just seeing to their famililes. I appreciate that and try to meet them where they are at. On the otherhand, I know folks that just think that people will automatically know what they are thinking and don't bother to reach out. Do you remember how it feels to get a letter in the mail? A flower just because? A dinner invitation for no reason other than spending time?

Some of the best moments in life are the little things. You can drop in on someone for a quick 15 minutes and change their day for the better. By saying hello, you are saying that they matter. They are important. They are worth the time. And to be fair, that needs to go in reverse. If someone stops by, they need to be there. The TV show can wait. Dinner can be stretched. The children won't malfunction from being 10 minutes later to bed. Patience, empathy, friendship should never be discounted or forgotten about. By advocating the spontaneous moments, I am really asking people to appreciate the moments that so quickly pass most folk by.

If the impulse strikes you to call someone, spend time, do something about it...be spontaneous. Don't think.

Do.

You will be remembered and loved.
At least by me.