yesterday, i made a list of things that need doing around here. because there are a lot of {little} things to do and i was beginning to feel the overwhelm. and i knew perfectly well i didn’t need to feel overwhelmed, but there it was rearing its head as i drank my morning cup of tea. and so i took out my pen and a pad i use for such lists, and i got writing. and the list was long, but it felt manageable once i saw things {literally] spelled out.
one step at a time.
it’s such a simple concept, really. but i find that i need to remind myself of it rather frequently. it’s part and parcel of my life. as a mama, i don’t have hours at a time for any task, so things necessarily get broken down. and i find this breaking down and zeroing in reflected in many areas of my life. how i clean bathrooms one day and vacuum another, how i menu-plan one day and food-shop another…how this parallels my curiosity of the tiny moments of our day, and i how i am drawn to write about those bits, how i am drawn to photograph those bits. even in the images i choose to create, there is the zooming in {see photo above}. i think back to my college drawing classes where i rarely drew the whole model, instead choosing to capture the curve of knee and calf or the eye, the ear.
it’s the pieces that intrigue me…the looking closely while respecting the larger whole. the need to move in increments, the desire to embrace each phase or piece or section. that seduces me. i want to study that intimately.
and so you see how it all flows? the overwhelm of yesterday morning led to a list which led me to this sharing with you {this call to you} to embrace the lists and individual tasks, the hours and minutes and fleeting seconds of your day. it led me to invite you {to gently remind you} to take it all one step at a time.
sending a little love your way, m
- as a *total* aside, i didn’t plan for this post to follow this particular train of thought. in truth, i thought i was going to tell you about the fabulous iced tea i’ve been drinking lately. let me tell you quickly…brew a cup of green tea, squeeze juice of one lemon {or half, depending on your taste}, sweeten as desired, and pour over ice. it’s also good warm. and if you really wanna have a party in your glass, squeeze some grapefruit juice in there. you’ll thank you later. {and, in all fairness, i have one of my sisters to thank for that grapefruit tip. thank you, a}
- and one more thing {i wasn’t planning to mention this but i’ve set the stage too perfectly}…if you’d like to zero in a bit, dial things down, slow your pace and pay attention more closely, i’d love to have you join my next round of 28 moments. registration is open now; class begins july 14.
- and now i really am done. promise. xo
Michelle GD 
i struggle with balance in that respect. my picture is either to big or I’m focusing on the little things too much. finding the middle ground can be oh-so-hard.
petra, it really can be oh-so-hard…i totally agree!
i move in and out, and recalibrate as necessary. when i find myself zoomed out too much {or in too much} i note where i am and i gently redirect. none of us is expected to be perfectly in place all the time…i don’t believe there is a perfect place or space, other than where we are in any given moment.
it’s all a big dance, a practice of moving ourselves into our present as much as we can.
go gently with yourself…xo
I love that you focus on the little moments + details, it always helps remind me to do the same. (I tend to be a zoomed out, lost in the big picture person). So glad that you had that thought, made the list, drank the tea, and then shared all the beauty with us :)
as touched upon with mel and tisha above, i really do believe it’s a dance between the two perspectives. i tend to zoom in, but if i only zoomed in and never kept the larger picture in mind, that would be extreme. i love that we’re all here to remind each other to consider all sides.
and thanks, always, for your support and appreciation. xx
i have abandoned my lists and to-dos with a reckless flip-of-a-particular-finger. ;) oh, i’ll go back to them, but now…i’m sinking into the blurred outlines of grace and the quiet drift of sun-tides.
i needed this — i was too much caught in the chasing of my tail.
abandoning my lists is what’s letting me see the beautiful details….and they are pure magic.
big love. xoxo
ps. that tea sounds divine….will definitely give that a go.
mel, ha! i stray from the lists lots of times…i think sinking into the blurred lines is a good way to allow the beautiful details, as you said. but i always return to the lists when the overwhelm sets in…that’s when they save me…because otherwise the beauty gets clouded out {for me}.
always a dance.
hope you like the tea!
Thank you for the compassion that you give mamas and our lists! My favorite tea these days is Passion Tea with a good citrus squeeze!
rosaria, i love mamas and i love lists!
i think the citrus squeeze adds a little something, yes? must try the passion tea…
going and coming from vacation taxed me and it’s only now, a week at home well over a week and I feel like I’m back on track with my lists and chores. I prioritize and try not to let what I ignored to do on a given day disrupt the whole scope of the week.
keep in mind, I have grown kids :) I think i had much more energy back then ;)
karen, definitely good to not let things undone disrupt the scope of the week. i have many uncrossed things on my list yet!!! as we get to them…
and, oh the energy…or lack thereof…
you know how you are seduced to look at the tiny pieces? i’m seduced to look at the whole, the zoomed out, birds eye view, interacted whole. thank you for reminding me of that. xo
p.s. the tea sounds delicious.
tisha, it’s really the balance, the dance of the two, isn’t it? complementing perspectives.
it’s good to have kindreds who understand this. we remind each other…
p.s. yes on the tea!