“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why...”
-Eddie Cantor
I cannot remember a Summer where I was so busy. Work, as always, continues to move along at over 100 mph, the kids seem to be involved in twice as many practices and tournaments than during the school year, and we have added some huge home improvement projects to our overly booked schedule. In short, there just hasn’t really been a break.
I go to sleep every night exhausted, and more importantly, determined to start slowing down and enjoying the summer before it’s too late. Despite my best intentions, I wake up every morning and start my day flying around, trying to cram 48 hours worth of tasks into a 24 hour day. Later that night, I lie down, again completely exhausted, and the cycle continues...
Believe me, I have tried to find time to relax. I really have. But the truth of the matter is, if we don’t get out of town, it simply doesn’t happen. The kids have too many places to be, there is too much house-cleaning to do, and of course, WAY to many hours of work sitting on my desk. Therefore, I have certainly learned that getting away is ABSOLUTELY essential if I am ever to get a real break. The problem is finding a few days where we can actually escape. It’s not easy.
Just a few days away from home means at least 4 calls to various coaches explaining that my kids will be missing practice. It inevitably means a few more calls to my kids’ friend’s parents begging forgiveness for the birthday parties and other activities which will be missed. It means finding people to water the vegetable garden and tend to the dogs, not to mention leaving the house in decent shape so as not to return to a mess. And then there is the packing and getting organized for the trip itself.
That alone makes you wonder if a few days away from home is really worth all that work, right?
Well, let me tell you. It is.
I bit the bullet just a few days ago and came down to my parents house in South Carolina with the girls. Yes, they are missing basketball practice...yes, Logan is missing her friend, Avery’s, sleepover birthday party...yes, packing for a toddler and organizing my work so that I could get away was a TON of work. But it has been worth every minute.
Yesterday, I went an entire day without entering or exiting a motor vehicle. A whole day. Not a mile driven.
While I worked (can’t escape that I’m afraid), I spent my lunch hour feeding ducks near the creek and running through a sprinkler with Brooklyn. I took a walk at the end of the day through country roads in the drizzling rain...all by myself...
The girls spent the day with my dad, learning how to drive a stick shift and with my mom watering her garden, which would put any I have seen in Better Homes & Gardens to shame.
In short, it’s been truly heavenly. We have truly relaxed and loved the time just enjoying each others‘ company. And that, my friends, is what Summer should really be about.
Hope you are getting to slow down as well...love, Claudia
