#10Thankful – Standing in Motion
I believe I am standing in motion.
I worked on a thousand things all week, produced results, and yet I somehow feel as though I have accomplished little because none of my projects can be moved to the “finished” list.
But maybe finished does not always equal successful (or vice versa) and just being in process is quite a good thing all by itself. To be about the business of living, doing, and becoming is a noble endeavor indeed. It is far too easy to slip into the trap of thinking about what we should have done and I know so many of us do it, at least once in a while. I am really trying to remain focused on what I am doing with my life, not what I or anyone else thinks I should be doing.
The Hub, Zilla, and I are taking advantage of the summer to enjoy different experiences – so much so that I’ve managed to miss the last couple of TToT link-ups (Oops and sorry!) (But #sorrynotsorry, you know?). We’ve been to the library, read to therapy dogs, watched a movie under the stars (almost) right in our own backyard. Our township shows movies in the local parks and we just happen to live adjacent to one of the locations. That was mighty cool. Zilla’s been to summer enrichment classes and swim lessons. I’ve been working on my kids’ book series and purge/clean projects at home. The Hub has projects at work and home in process. Now that Zilla’s a bit older, we’ve been introducing her to the wonder of board games and card games for the older crowd. Last week she learned how to play Life and Monopoly (Lord of the Rings version, thank you very much) and how to play Solitaire the old fashioned way – with real cards.
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That all kind of adds up to a whole lot of thankful right there. But it’s only the beginning…
I’m quite glad that I’m sitting for a few minutes with a hot cup of the best coffee in the world by my side so I can get this post written in the first place. Thanks, Husband, for the best coffee in the world. Always.
Keeping with the Husband theme, he deserves a spot at the top of the list always because he is among the best of men and the best of husbands. He stands by me completely through the better and worse and I am thankful to fall asleep and wake up next to him each day. Well, assuming he makes it up from his technology den before falling asleep, that is. But even then, I can be thankful for the entire bed to myself (and the three Rottens) for a few hours. Silver linings.
Time makes my list this week. Summer allows me to spend unscheduled, unhurried time with my daughter. It doesn’t matter what we decide to do (or not do), but we are enjoying the time together. I think the highlight of my summer so far was the day she said she loved grocery shopping with me because we get to be together. I think her point was that we were doing something necessary, a chore, and still enjoying each other’s company. I love having her along and I will miss that come fall when she is back in school. Of course it does take longer and cost more with her helping…but so worth it. Plus, she’s learning in the process. We read labels, decide what foods are good choices, plan meals based on what is available that week, practice math and money skills, and so much more.
I have also enjoyed some alone time with my Husband seeing concerts and eating a few meals sans kid. This week we’re getting an extra big dose – we escaped for a quick daytime sushi lunch while Zilla was in school, had dinner together while she was at a social thing at her karate school, and tomorrow we have dinner and a concert date. The couples-only time is so important for so many reasons. Of course, the mom guilt creeps in a bit – are we spending too much time without her? Does she feel neglected? I think we’re good, though, because she is always busy in her own right while we’re out and is always in the care of people who love her. She’s beyond excited to spend time with my Sister and my Mom at my sister’s house tomorrow and I love that.
I am amazed at what a strong and beautiful girl our Zilla is becoming. This week she dealt fabulously with some kid issues, earned her red belt in karate, and made her own breakfast. The unthinkable has happened – all the baby is pretty much gone from her and what remains is this lovely and fun person who needs me to help just a little less than she used. to. It’s bittersweet for sure. The only moments I catch a glimpse of her baby self is when she’s asleep, totally relaxed, and those sweet little cheeks take on that soft baby chubbiness for a few hours. I think that may be the real reason moms get up and check on their kids fifty times a night – for just one more moment of that.
We have experienced the beauty and wonder of nature this summer. We’ve spent some time hiking at our mountain (sadly, those photos are down the composting toilet with my phone) and on our last trip saw more and closer raptor sightings than we have on most of our trips. Awesome. We watched a pair of blue jays defend their nest from a redtail hawk who decided to perch on their lamppost and visit for a while. Fascinating. Sadly, Zilla and I saw a fledgling bird in its final moments of life as he died in our driveway. Unfortunately, we were too late to help him and he wouldn’t have survived the trip to the nearest wildlife rehab facility. We talked about life and death and I was glad for the opportunity for lessons the situation provided. We’ve watched sunsets and moonrises, enjoyed gorgeous summer days and watched truly fierce-looking storms roll in.
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I am so glad we have a share in our local CSA farm. We love our farmers and how they run things. We love the fresh, local, organic produce each week. During CSA season (for us it’s usually June through early November), I love planning our meals around what arrives from the farm. It makes me so happy that the Hub and Zilla are willing to try new and different things and that most of the time they like the results. I love how the array on my counter top and in my refrigerator inspires beautiful, healthy meals. Pinterest, of course, is a great resource for ideas.
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Of course, there are always smoothies as well. This was one of the most beautiful looking and delicious that I’ve made yet. I think it was kale or spinach, mixed berries, cucumber, water, and flax seed. Oh, and peach! So good.
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I received a sweet memento in the mail this week from our Listen to Your Mother leaders. It was a nice way to remember such a great experience. I was reminded what a cool thing that was to do. I believe that people and experiences touch our lives at particular times for particular reasons, even if we may not know exactly why right away. I’m certain that being part of Listen to Your Mother was one of those scenarios. There are over 500 videos to enjoy from this year’s shows (by all means check them out – they’re wonderful), but here’s mine. I loved sharing this story so if you’ll indulge me, I’ll share it again here. Be gentle, OK? I was recovering from a horrible upper respiratory thing complete with laryngitis and it was by far the WORST camera angle on me ever.
I am glad for plenty of time to read my always-growing pile of books. Between what I already have on the shelf, what I’ve recently acquired from the bargain table, and the public library, I have no dearth of material. Are we friends on Goodreads? We should be. Find me over there. I’m sure I can put a widgety thing on my front blog page, but I’ll have to figure that out later today.
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I am glad for the company of cats when I am here all day by myself. These guys are loads of fun. I have to give Cat One a little shoutout here for taking his meds like a man, so to speak. A few months ago, you may remember, he had some intestinal issues and now takes a kitty laxative twice a day. The stuff is a nasty sticky liquid and he hates it. He often spits it out and drools it all over himself and all over everything. I called our vet and they contacted a local compounding pharmacy to do his meds in compound form so it can be flavored – are you ready – like chicken. Yup. So when I tell him it tastes like chicken (which I have been for three months), it’s actually true now. He seems to be accepting it better than before and most of it stays in him rather than on him, so that’s progress.
![20160727_181631[1]](http://www.themeaningofme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160727_1816311-e1469904320664.jpg)
I guess taking a couple of weeks off makes for one very full TToT post! That’s it for me today. My coffee cup needs to be refilled. The house has grown a bit dark because the rain and storms have taken over once again. I love the sound of the summer rain. We’re going to spend our rainy (and disgustingly humid) summer afternoon teaching Zilla how to play Dungeons and Dragons. So if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be.
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Your turn – what are you thankful for this week? How are you spending your summer?
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22 Comments
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Love your humor, Lisa. This is my first visit to your your little corner of the Web, but I will be back. 🙂
Thanks, Rica! I’ve not visited your place often yet, but definitely will keep doing so, too. Hoping to start yoga classes myself soon and I love your info!
Wow reading your post reminds me of summer and now I’m starting to loo forward to it, it’s winter down here in the Southern Hemisphere 😍 You’re reading list looks great too, I must get back into reading I’ve been a bit slack lately! Much love, Katie
Hi, Katie! Even though I know we have opposite seasons, it still boggles my mind that we are in the thick of summer heatwaves and others are in the chill of winter.
I have to admit that is an old photo of my reading list. Some of those have been tackled, others still not. But I always have a huge list waiting. Which is OK, I spent too long away from pleasure reading and I’m glad to be back at it.
That was a rather long #TToT. I loved every word. I love the summer the best because of the unstructured time alone with my kids too. I wish I could do it all the time. (And I’ll have to argue that you have the second best husband in the world…because my husband wins the top prize…)
Oh it definitely is a long TToT, Liv, and I did worry a bit that people would be like “oh hell no” and move on. So I appreciate that you stuck it out and read through! Unstructured time is valuable time for sure. Of course we all need to work and learn and be responsible, but it’s also important to rest and play, too. Balance.
Funny about the husbands. Probably the truth is that each is the best for the one they’re with, right? As my Grandmother used to say, “Every pot has a lid.” <3
I’m glad you missed the TToT for LIVING, for spending time with Zilla and Fab Hub, and for DOING LIFE! That’s the best thing of all, and it sounds as though you’re having a fabulous summer (especially all those wonderful meals with fresh produce).
Your LTYM is AWESOME Lisa – you performed it so well! You’ve got great timing and real character to how you spoke! Love it!
Ah, thank you Miss Lizzi. I was really happy with my piece, but perhaps not entirely thrilled with the actual performance that day – I just felt so run down. But even so, I really enjoyed the experience. I will admit to having good timing, though. It’s why I’m funny and my Husband is not. 😀
We are indeed having a great summer doing all the things. I’m afraid we bailed on healthy meals and opted for pizza today because we were playing D&D and it just kind of goes. Zilla loved it and despite the fact that the child NEVER STOPS SPEAKING we had fun. I think we have a new fan.
Oh who cares if you had pizza ONE DAY! I think snack foods and games nights kind of go hand in hand, so you’re pretty much duty bound to show her how it’s done PROPERLY! You can go back to fruit and veg and healthful stuff the rest of the week. Even *I* stepped away from my regimen and had a night off, of picnicking on the beach with my mum, and a ‘full fat’ shandy at a beach cafe!
You have great timing but also you have inherent knowledge of how to engage and what will resonate with other people. Especially (in this case) other parents. I know you feel you would have done better on a day when you weren’t still in recovery BUT…it was fabulous anyway.
Oh you are completely right, which is why we did the pizza and snacks. It does go hand in hand. I just keep worrying that we won’t use up the produce fast enough, you know? I hate waste. I will likely be doing some sharing this week! Also a good thing, you know?
Beach picnic sounds so awesome and I do love a good summer shandy.
Really thanks again for the sweet words on the LTYM. You know I’m way over-critical. 😉
Oh, wow! So many things here that sounded wonderful. Reading to therapy dogs, watching movies under the stars – almost, the cats, the yummy food, time spent with loved ones. And, what a picture of the storm clouds! I’m another southern hemisphere reader, waiting for Summer to roll around here! Linda. 🙂
The movie under the stars was the actual part, Linda. The “almost” was the in our backyard thing. They show movies in the parks in our township and this particular movie happened on the soccer fields right behind our house. Definitely made it an easy outing!
Hang in there for summer – the seasons always change. That much is sure.
Thanks for reading!
I fight the “shoulds” sometimes, too. I’m learning to see my days as filled with hours, not checklists–even though I do love checklists! If I’ve spent the hours LIVING, I try to remember to feel a sense of accomplishment. Relationships can last forever, so those should take priority over the task at hand. Shopping with Zilla is a great example; it takes longer with her there, but you are building the relationship.
I think you know how I feel about date nights and getaways. The husband/wife relationship needs regular nurturing, so don’t feel guilty for making that time a priority. A strong marriage benefits the whole family, and provides stability and peace to the children. Whenever my kids would mention that a friend’s family was going through a divorce, they would always state (not ask), “You and Dad will never get divorced, though.” Taking time for dates shows Zilla that your relationship with your husband is strong and firm. It sounds to me that you’re doing a great job!
You are so right, Kristi. I always think of you as one of the wisest among my blog/online friends. In recent years I have made a conscious choice to focus on the living part of life. I keep Thoreau’s words in my mind – that I don’t wish to reach the end of my time on earth and find that I had not lived. I would much rather have Zilla with me on these trips and doing things around the house than not. Many hands make light the work, right? And it gives us something to do while we chat, too, which I know will be valuable when we hit those complicated topics in life that are sometimes uncomfortable. If we’ve established a pattern of talking while we do, my hope is that she will find it easy to open up about the tough stuff.
I do know your philosophy on date nights, etc. and often look to you as example an inspiration. It is so easy – and we are guilty of doing this – to assume the marriage is fine and stick it on the back burner because babies and jobs and life need attention. But so do we. So we’ve been making sure we make intentional choices about being together and also take opportunities when they come (like her karate social nights) to just be the two of us. Thanks for your words of support! <3
Hmmm….tastes like chicken! Made me laugh.
Loved your video. Truth! And both funny and poignant. Well written, lovingly delivered.
Thanks for your feedback on the video, May. I loved doing it – great experience. And motherhood is like that, isn’t it? Both funny and poignant.
the virtual world, with all of it’s incredible properties and powers came into being from the ‘real’ world. (I enjoy my own humor in apostrophizing the real in ‘real world), nevertheless is is a good thing to remember.
It’s a good point, Clark, and a connection I think we often fail to make.
What an awesome post about LIVING life! I loved, loved, LOVED your video, it had me smiling all the way through as only a mother could! It was so fun to get to see you and hear your voice. Thank you for sharing it! XOXO
Thanks, Josie. <3 xoxo
So much Loveliness Lisa.
🙂
Even grocery shopping can be full of important lessons, while still being a wonderful chance for mother/daughter togetherness.
Love all the games you are teaching her and love the red belt. Go Zilla!
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
There are lessons to be learned everywhere, Kerry. Definitely. She’s at such a great age for learning games and that opens up a whole new world of fun for all of us!