The Gift

From here (Jan. 15, 1998)

... to here (Dec. 2011)

Dec. 2011


...in the blink of an eye!

You are the man who stole my heart, who calms my nerves, who's got my back. You challenge me when I need challenging and help me with everything I take on. You're the elbow grease to many of my big ideas, and the strong leader our family needs.

We've gone from young to mature (unless there are Nerf guns involved), from one end of the province to the other and a few places around the world, and I can't wait to see where else life takes us.

There is no way I could have possibly known the depth of the significance in store for me when we chose this for "our song."  Thank you. You are one of the greatest gifts I've ever been given.

It really is a fairy tale come true.

Happy Anniversary, Kelly. I love you!



(*For my American friends who may not be able to access the link, the song is Collin Raye's The Gift. You can see the lyrics here.)

The Power of a Song

The memory is a strange thing, don't you think?

A song, a scent, a taste... one little thing, expected or not, has the ability to take us back in an instant.

This afternoon my daughters put in some CDs for us to listen to while we played cards. I wasn't paying attention to what they put in. They dug out a few that have been neglected for years. When Tiggerific (from Tigger.Mania Disney CD) started playing, I found myself in the past, to a time when two chubby-cheeked toddlers would beg to hear the CD again, and again, and again...

Oh how they LOVED their Tigger! That was nine years ago already. NINE!

I am feeling particularly nostalgic today, so I couldn't help but smile and remember their cute little moves - and then phone my sister to play the song for her.

So many more memories to be thankful for, so many more gifts to remember fondly.

On Motivation...

It's easy to be lazy.

It's easy to get up in the morning, settle in by the fire with my coffee and my laptop and or a good book,  cuddled under a cozy quilt.

It's easy to stay there FAR too long.

It's easy to waste the time I tout as oh-so-precious.

My time IS precious. It is my single most valuable possession. There are a mere 1440 minutes in every day and I get to choose how I spend them. In my heart of hearts I deeply desire to steward my time wisely. Yet, like most people, I am no stranger to sloth-like behavior. 

So what should I do when I suddenly realize that I have wasted nearly half of my day (or more)? The way I see it, I could continue wasting my day, or I could get up and get busy! Think about it, this applies to other areas of life too... does one slip up in dietary intake mean the whole day is written off so I might as well just eat junk? Or do I have the power and ability to stop it right then and there? If I wake up in a foul mood, do I have to continue like that for the whole day?

On good days, it's at the very moment when I realize that I could be spending my time more wisely that this soundtrack plays in my head. (My apologies if any of you are offended by any part of the video.)

I DO have the power! I CAN do that task that has been hanging over my head for weeks and opening the door for all sorts of negative self-talk. I CAN get out of the chair and lace up my runners. I WILL put down the chips and salsa. I CHOOSE to be a nicer person to be around.

And you know what I've found? I've found that by getting up and take that first step, by crossing one item (no matter how insignificant) off The List, I feel like I've achieved something and I'm suddenly eager to do more.

The first step truly is the hardest to take. 

I'm out of my "chair" (now)... are you?

(P.S. I am in NO way saying that I think it's wrong to take a day off sometimes.... just sayin'...)

What Progress Looks Like

I've often wondered what progress looks like.

I've come to the conclusion that the answer depends entirely on the task at hand... and perhaps one's personality.

I am a perfectionist. There, I said it (and posted it for all the Internet to see!). While I have learned to ease off on some things (I no longer expect my children to sort their toys into small individual bins. Instead I am happy if they all hit the same bin and are not spread out all over the floor. But that only took a week or two and happened when they were toddlers!), I am still learning when it comes to others.

Perfectionism can be paralyzing. There are times when, if I can't do it all and if I can't do it the way I envision it, I hesitate to even begin. Other times, I don't allow myself time to do things I enjoy because there I things I "need" to do. (We all know that housework never ends.) Anal? Compulsive? Neurotic? If you were to call me any of those, it wouldn't be the first time I'd heard them.

So... what if: I can't lose 5, 10, 20 pounds overnight? ... the stitching is off by 1/16 of an inch? ... my floors look a little dusty when the sun hits them or there are splatters on the bathroom mirror? ... I think of better wording after hitting "Publish"? What if things aren't just the way I'd like them?

Have I made progress if the task isn't completed perfectly? Have I made progress if I stepped up to give the child the argument she was looking for but then apologized for not keeping my cool (read: being the adult) and asked for her forgiveness? Has my husband made progress if the kitchen is only half-tiled?

YES!

So I'd like to share what progress looks like in our house today:

Letters in the name that are spaced further apart than I'd like them. (I did not do the logo, just the name.)

Half an hour on the treadmill - while downloading running apps!

30 minutes of sewing on a project that has been in progress for 9 months.

Reading the right books - and keeping up with friends both near and far.

A half-tiled kitchen!! (Hopefully the wall to the right will be complete tomorrow!)

A great little tool.

Yes, I used the timer method again today. I'm really quite enjoying the fact that if I achieve 30 minutes of focused work on a task then I have accomplished it! (As opposed to not feeling that I've achieved anything because the project may not be complete.)

Progress also looks like a mother and daughter in a tear-filled embrace, because the mother has just asked forgiveness for not keeping her cool... but I'll leave that picture to your capable imaginations.

Perfection is a myth. There is not a single perfect person here on earth. I think I'll choose to be happy with progress from now on.