We did it! We made it through this crazy month of October. I love October. I love it because Autumn takes my breath away. I love it because I see this tree every day when I get to the end of my street (and the iPhone while driving doesn’t even come close to portraying all it’s glory).
I love it because it’s always PACKED with good things.
This year it has been packed with more good things than ever before. More good and fun in one month than I have the capacity to drink in and fully appreciate! We’ve had back to back visits from dear dear friends and family….a weekend in Cape Cod with my in-laws, 5 days away to London (yes, I got to travel!) a Power of Moms retreat with my sister, a weekend with my NYC bros and their delightful families, birthdays and photo shoots and beautiful leaves and long strings of Indian Summer days.
And now it’s November. Things are calming down, we’re settling into a more normal routine (which is very welcome right now). But boy, do I have thoughts and memories crammed up in my brain just itching to be spilled out so that life can be a little slower again.
When my mother in law was here at the beginning of the month she gave me a great workbook called, “Restoring Margin to Overloaded Lives.” How in the world did she know that the concepts in this book are exactly the concepts I needed to have running through my head as the backdrop to this crazy month. Basically, it talks about the importance of building margins into your life. You know, those blank spaces you had to make sure to leave when you hand-wrote papers in 5th grade? Well, turns out it’s pretty important to leave those same spaces in your life. To make room for just being. To find and set limits for yourself. To take the overload out of your lives by leaving this space. Space to think and breath and deal with and enjoy the unexpected parts of life.
So, that’s what I’m planning to focus on this month. Carving out some margins. Making a little more space. Finding and setting my limits and my kids limits and my families limits. Leaving room for serendipity. For being present with my kids. For boring evenings at home where real life gets made.
Oh, and little by little, updating our family history here on the blog to reflect and remember all the great things that have happened to us over the past few months while I have been too tired and busy to blog.
slappin' a comment on this awesome blog.
ReplyDeletei always wiped my boogers in the margins.
That tree is amazing and I know exactly where it is!! Makes me feel close to you. That's the gate to the cemetery we squeezed through once and handed the small stoller over the top.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the Margins book. I like his spiritual perspective and the idea that God needs us to have some margin, so that when he calls us to help someone (promptings) he doesn't get a "busy signal".
That makes me realize that the next generation won't even know what a "busy signal" is because you don't hear them anymore--just a voice mail message, right?
Great ideas as always! Wish I had taken a picture of that tree. It is simply spectacular! So are you!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the margin concept! (Random posting, I just found your blog via Sarah of Clover Lane.) I love the idea of intentionally carving out space for yourself & your family. Sacred space. I try to do it but then life's busyness creeps in, always at the door. I think you have to work hard to keep it at bay.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you are lovely and have a beautiful family. Happy November!