It’s so nice to be home! Funny though, I had that same thought as I landed at the foot of the Rocky Mountains two weeks ago. I love Salt Lake City. Not only because of it’s wonderful, crave-able food but also as the home of my family, and where I grew up. We shared some much needed family time, away from life’s distractions (including the sewing machine and the computer…) and were able to have a really fantastic break. I’m spending the weekend getting settled, tackling laundry, answering emails, and going to Truckaroo with Dave. I can’t wait to share some details and stories of the trip with you, but until then, here are the highlights:
>>>Landing in SLC short two diapers…with Eliot’s diarrhea down my skirt. Note to self: pack more diapers.
>>>Being greeted at my in-laws house with Martinelli’s and Sea Salt Chocolate in the guest bedroom. I felt so welcomed!
>>>Eating. Eating. Eating. Eating.
>>>Gaining five pounds. (see above)
>>>Hanging out with Melissa from ISLY, who is helping me digitize the Big Bow Dress pattern. She’s as awesome in real life as I imagined she’d be. And Penelope was a gracious host to Milo, offering him multiple snacks in our one hour visit.
>>>Fabric shopping and lunch at Communal with Miriam of MadMim. This lady and I are cut from the same cloth. The afternoon left me completely inspired.
>>>Swimming party with Caitlin of Hue and Hum, Miriam, and all our kids. Relaxing, chatting, eating. Great company, the best brownies ever. Lots of blog talk.
>>>Realizing I have more blog friends than old friends in Utah.
>>>Morning bike ride with my neo-cyclist sister. I went 12 miles, she went about 50.
>>>Meeting my newest, and tiniest nephew, Leo.
>>>Milo feeding horses on the side of the road when we stopped for dinner on the way to the lake.
>>>Waking up to the red rock cliffs of Lake Powell. That felt like home, too.
>>>Trying to keep two young kids from drowning while in Lake Powell.
>>>Milo almost drowning in Lake Powell. Scariest.Moment.Ever.
>>>Ice cream at the Marina Store, waterskiing, counting my brother’s tattoos…
>>>Racing my sibs across the inlet and up the giant sandhill. Winning.
>>>Our 75 ft homemade water slide of death (or sand-burn).
>>>Eliot crying for 4 hours straight on the drive home. Then throwing up.
>>>Wandering the Park City Art’s festival alone while Dave watched the boys.
>>>Robert Siegel gifting me a piece of his gorgeous pottery (in return for a tweet!)
>>>Playing ping-pong with Dave at the pool in Park City. Losing.
>>>Watching the olympics with Dave’s family in the hotel living room after a fantastic meal and birthday cake (for my father-in-law).
>>>Shopping without kids.
>>>Watching the Polar Bear swim OCD laps at the Hogel Zoo.
>>>Late-Night fro-yo with my college roommates.
>>>Filling two extra duffle bags with my 20+ yards of fabric, pottery, and shopping finds.
>>>Flying home with my diaper bag filled with diapers. Only needing two.
>>>Eliot throwing up all over me just as we landed in DC. Poetic to begin and end the trip with body fluid.
It was a great time. Really, except for all of the pooh and vomit. But that come’s with being a mom, I guess.
Above all, I relished the excuse to be away from what I think of as my “busy life.” It was a forced re-set, and gave me a chance to step back, take a look, and make some decisions regarding my day-to-day routines. I recognize that I have a Type-A personality, and I find myself using that as justification by my constant need to be doing things. I do just about everything, and really love most of it. But when time comes to not do something, I fail. Miserably. Over the last month or so it has hit me that I am really not good at not doing things, and that’s a skill I need to develop. In fact, I during my early-collage, collect-lots-of-small-books-with-inspiring-quotes phase, I remember buying one called “The Art of Doing Nothing.” I don’t have any idea what it says (probably because I didn’t take the time to actually read it…) but I think I felt a desire to have a calm place in my life, even then.
As I’ve been thinking about this, I read this article and it stuck out to me that I do think of being “busy” as being effective, successful, and accomplished, when that is entirely untrue! Then, a couple weeks ago, I spotted this one (via) and realized that the way I spend my time is entirely up to me. Sure, I make commitments, and then I am committed. But I can choose not to! I can choose to sit still. What I really want out of my life is not a list of check-marked boxes, but a living, breathing circle of loving relationships. Serendipitously, this post about being busy showed up in my Reader yesterday and totally echoed the thoughts that I have been having. This idea of not being so dang “busy” has been a theme for me this year, since I wrote this post about Goals and God. But here I am, seven months in to the year, still working on it. Life is such a process, isn’t it? I am continually learning and changing. I love being able to start and finish projects, but I want to also be okay putting them down half-finished to enjoy a chat with Dave when he comes home from work. Or to read a chapter or two in one of the several books I have bought and not opened. Or to snuggle with Milo and actually watch one of the shows he choses during Quiet Time, rather than just hearing it as I “get things done”.
I spent a lot of time during my trip thinking and talking about reducing “busy-ness” (haha, or “business”…funny). The truth is, I don’t know how I got here to this “busy” place in life. Most of what I’ve been doing lately hasn’t been really planned out a lot…because I haven’t taken the time to plan. I just keep saying “yes” to others (and myself), until I have filled up all of my spare minutes with doing. I love this recent talk about The Race of Life. Using President Monson’s analogy, the current has brought me to a really wonderful place, but I’m not completely sure it’s where I want to be. I need to take some time to ponder and reflect on the ways I spend my time and the things that matter most to me. And I am going to really try to develop the talent of doing nothing. Not only do I feel like allowing myself more time to be still will be healthy for my relationships both with myself and others, I also feel like it will really improve my inspiration and efficiency for the projects that I decide to take on.
I want to feel like I have time to spare. Nothing is urgent (except for those things that really are. Like blood. And vomit.) I am deciding now to not be busy. Happy? Relaxed? Inspired? Welcoming? Willing? Yes. Busy? No.
Do you feel “busy” too? How do you like to spend your free time? I’d love to hear your thoughts about reducing busy-ness and enjoying doing nothing.
And I wish you all a wonderfully relaxed and un-busy weekend!
