Just Relax & Enjoy It

I love The Nester. I love her blog, I love her decorating ideas, I especially love her window mistreatments! Her tag line says it all: "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." In today's "Bird Watching" blog round-up I was led to this wonderful gem: down to earth. It's a blog about simple living and the post was about "The secret life of a happy homemaker." Now, a homemaker is a far cry from what I consider myself. I read that title and snorted a little and almost clicked away. But for some reason I decided to read the whole post, and what an eye opener! You should read it yourself, but the basic premise was that we all have tasks that fill our day and there is no way around them. So to perform those tasks with a sense of purpose, a sense of calmness, and even a sense of gratitude can completely change the tone of our day.

I must have had an open mind when I woke up this morning, because I completely fell in love with this idea! I already had a Saturday full of errands planned, and I was NOT looking forward to it. I ride my bike to work and to the grocery store, so the idea of being in the car all day, driving through in-town traffic, does not appeal to me. I absorbed down to earth's article and decided to fully embrace my day. To take my time on my errands and to enjoy the opportunity to listen to music and run the AC in the car at full blast. The report: it truly made a difference! Nothing life-shattering, but I was definitely not miserable as I expected I was going to be.

The truth is, unless you have a live-in maid and cook, home duties never end. Instead of dreading every load of laundry and putting it off and then trying to cram through it quickly just to get it done, I can savor the moment to do something relaxing that will eventually please myself and my family. Although I am a natural mess, I feel so much calmer when the house is straightened and put away. Clothes will always need to be rewashed, food will always need to be prepared, cats will continually shed fur. But I will never have back the moments of my day, and how much better to pass them with a sense of purpose, then a sense of drudgery?

Trust me, I'm not going all Duggar on you here. But why not have a sense of mindfulness instead of fighting against all the things that need to happen in your day? Whether it's washing dishes, or filing paperwork, or changing diapers, be present in the moment! Being zen, meditating, centering, daydreaming, whatever you want to call it -- try it. Remember that all the tiny things you do throughout your day, make someone else's day a tiny bit better. And with that, I leave you with some wise words, from someone who spent her very short life doing insignificant, mundane tasks, yet managed to inspire greatness:


“Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.” -Saint Therese (she's my homegirl)