Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Today is Tuesday
I have never really minded Monday. I am usually ready for a "normal" day after a weekend of less structure so Monday is actually a good day in my book. Tuesday on the other hand isn't always TERRIFIC! Sometimes by Tuesday I have lost my way. My To Do list is usually long but my motivation is short. I often have meetings on Tuesday. So what I am thinking is that on Tuesday I will give myself a blogging break and just post a quick quote or story that I enjoy. Something that made me think or gave me a shiver or perhaps even made me SMILE.
Tuesday will be cut me some slack day around here. Hope you think, or shiver or SMILE right along with me.
Tuesday will be cut me some slack day around here. Hope you think, or shiver or SMILE right along with me.
Nic playing Ralph Herdman in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Within that role he played Joseph in the Christmas Pageant. So sweet to see my boy on stage.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Big Rocks
So there is a story that I have heard before about filling a jar with rocks. If you put small pebbles in first, then mid-sized rocks, then the large rocks they won't all fit in the jar. What a person should do is put the largest rocks in first, then the mid-sized rocks then the smallest pebbles fill in the space that is left.
So when I consider living my life with INTENTION I want to look at a few of the most important components of my life (the BIG rocks) and put them at the forefront of my life. Not saying that I can't put some medium sized stones and lots of little pebbles in my jar but I need to make sure I place the BIG rocks first.
My BIG rocks include
1) my marriage to Fred
2) my sons Nicholas and William
3) my personal happiness, exercise and creativity time (Yes, that is a category on my calendar)
4) my closest and most important relationships with family and friends.
5) my faith
My mid-sized rocks include
1) my "professional life" as a substitute
2) my "volunteer life" as a PTA and community volunteer
3) All the other little things I do for others
4) Creating and documenting my family story in scrapbooks
My little pebbles are
laundry, cleaning, ironing, movies, anything on my DVR, and a whole lot more.
The littlest of pebbles are not inconsequential things. They have their place in my life but they are not BIG rocks. Can you name your BIG rocks and do you place them in your jar first?
So when I consider living my life with INTENTION I want to look at a few of the most important components of my life (the BIG rocks) and put them at the forefront of my life. Not saying that I can't put some medium sized stones and lots of little pebbles in my jar but I need to make sure I place the BIG rocks first.
My BIG rocks include
1) my marriage to Fred
2) my sons Nicholas and William
3) my personal happiness, exercise and creativity time (Yes, that is a category on my calendar)
4) my closest and most important relationships with family and friends.
5) my faith
My mid-sized rocks include
1) my "professional life" as a substitute
2) my "volunteer life" as a PTA and community volunteer
3) All the other little things I do for others
4) Creating and documenting my family story in scrapbooks
My little pebbles are
laundry, cleaning, ironing, movies, anything on my DVR, and a whole lot more.
The littlest of pebbles are not inconsequential things. They have their place in my life but they are not BIG rocks. Can you name your BIG rocks and do you place them in your jar first?
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Living a life with Intention
Plan, purpose, forethought, investment, direction. Words within my OLW for 2012. I plan to live with INTENTION. To travel through my days with purpose and direction. I have a plan that relates to much more than just a "To Do" list of tasks. I want my "Daily INTENTION" list to be broader and more meaningful. I want to put things on this list like, check in with William to see how he is feeling about life. We can do that over a lunch-time meal, or emptying the dishwasher together. I just need to connect and find the answers all day long. Sure, I'll still need to do the laundry and run the errands this year but perhaps with a shift in my own engagement, I can see the deeper meaning behind such mundane tasks and respond to that with more meaningful engagement on my part. I will however use connecting with my children, REALLY REALLY engaging with them, as an excuse ANY DAY to not do the mundane and sometimes it will even trump the slightly more important stuff.
I loathe cooking. It's not even really the cooking part. It's the prep and clean-up that get me. I need to look at feeding my family as more than just putting a meal on a plate. I need to consider that this food that nourishes their bodies may be the best thing they eat all day. That the time we spend together around the table may be the most meaningful interaction that my boys have all day. They need that. All three of them. The INTENTION of the family meal is so much more than just meat and some sides on a plate. (Wonder how long that mind-set will last?) I think I'll need a plaque in my kitchen to remind me daily.
Living with INTENTION is going to take lots of work. I am going to need to better understand my own purpose and direction to keep my real INTENTION at the forefront and understood. I will need to weed out some things that don't fall within my new limits of focus. That may hurt a little. I won't be too drastic but I will be INTENTIONAL.
Nic and I are going to NY this year on a Theater/Art trip. The INTENTION of this trip was originally pure fun. I think that will shift. Nic and I are going to experience something together that no one else in the family has. We can find meaning in that beyond three Broadway shows and a couple of museums on very little sleep. The purpose/INTENTION of this excursion may be to connect Nic and I in a special way. To prepare him for HS knowing that his mama has got his back. That we can share and communicate on a level all our own. That we will always have NY in the summer...
I think that one reason I chose the word INTENTION is that when I made my long long list of possibilities I saw many areas of my life that deserved great attention this year. My HOME, my FAMILY, my LOVE. I think that INTENTION allows me to direct some personal energy toward all of those things and more. A monthly "date night" with my husband. An annual road-trip with my boys, or perhaps some planned ME time to create, or even to do NOTHING but sit in the quiet and listen to GOD.
I am going to take some time in the coming week to flesh out my plan a bit. In the meantime I can work on some reasonable decluttering that is usually inspired by a new year. Today I can clean out some drawers and cabinets in my kitchen. Maybe if I know and appreciate the tools that I use to prepare those meals for my family it won't be such a chore? I also hope to do some menu planning as a family and maybe just maybe even give the boys some directives on what they can do to help after dinner beyond putting dishes in the dishwasher. Perhaps this INTENTION stuff could wear off on everyone.
I loathe cooking. It's not even really the cooking part. It's the prep and clean-up that get me. I need to look at feeding my family as more than just putting a meal on a plate. I need to consider that this food that nourishes their bodies may be the best thing they eat all day. That the time we spend together around the table may be the most meaningful interaction that my boys have all day. They need that. All three of them. The INTENTION of the family meal is so much more than just meat and some sides on a plate. (Wonder how long that mind-set will last?) I think I'll need a plaque in my kitchen to remind me daily.
Living with INTENTION is going to take lots of work. I am going to need to better understand my own purpose and direction to keep my real INTENTION at the forefront and understood. I will need to weed out some things that don't fall within my new limits of focus. That may hurt a little. I won't be too drastic but I will be INTENTIONAL.
Nic and I are going to NY this year on a Theater/Art trip. The INTENTION of this trip was originally pure fun. I think that will shift. Nic and I are going to experience something together that no one else in the family has. We can find meaning in that beyond three Broadway shows and a couple of museums on very little sleep. The purpose/INTENTION of this excursion may be to connect Nic and I in a special way. To prepare him for HS knowing that his mama has got his back. That we can share and communicate on a level all our own. That we will always have NY in the summer...
I think that one reason I chose the word INTENTION is that when I made my long long list of possibilities I saw many areas of my life that deserved great attention this year. My HOME, my FAMILY, my LOVE. I think that INTENTION allows me to direct some personal energy toward all of those things and more. A monthly "date night" with my husband. An annual road-trip with my boys, or perhaps some planned ME time to create, or even to do NOTHING but sit in the quiet and listen to GOD.
I am going to take some time in the coming week to flesh out my plan a bit. In the meantime I can work on some reasonable decluttering that is usually inspired by a new year. Today I can clean out some drawers and cabinets in my kitchen. Maybe if I know and appreciate the tools that I use to prepare those meals for my family it won't be such a chore? I also hope to do some menu planning as a family and maybe just maybe even give the boys some directives on what they can do to help after dinner beyond putting dishes in the dishwasher. Perhaps this INTENTION stuff could wear off on everyone.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
More possibilites OLW 2012
Some of these could be repeats from yesterday. A little off the cuff...
Faith
Intention
Poke
Be
Become
Joy
Smile
Together
Priority
Optimism
Home
Clean
Real
Hope
Less
Focus
Write
Remember
Renew
Refresh
Happiness
Balance
Calm
Quiet
Free
Authentic
Okay, need to stop looking for possibles and commit! Word research tomorrow and Thursday. I gotta stick with this word all year so it has to be good. No, great!
Faith
Intention
Poke
Be
Become
Joy
Smile
Together
Priority
Optimism
Home
Clean
Real
Hope
Less
Focus
Write
Remember
Renew
Refresh
Happiness
Balance
Calm
Quiet
Free
Authentic
Okay, need to stop looking for possibles and commit! Word research tomorrow and Thursday. I gotta stick with this word all year so it has to be good. No, great!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Possible 2012 OLW contenders
Cherish
Nurture
Family
Create
Believe
Home
Renew
Pause
Light
Me
Blessed
Enough
Gratitude
Nurture
Family
Create
Believe
Home
Renew
Pause
Light
Me
Blessed
Enough
Gratitude
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)