Time {and a summer hiatus}

I sat at her kitchen table and she poured me some wine.  The kids were in and out of the house, up and down the stairs.  She and I stayed in that spot for three hours, though our stories carried us through decades and across continents.  That’s an afternoon I can get down with.

Summer is officially here.  There are things planned, peppered through the summer weeks; but mostly there’s a lot of open space in our days.  Which is perfect.  Because summer.  I find myself checking (and re-checking) the calendar frequently as new rhythms are forming.  Did I miss something?  Did I forget something?  I don’t quite know what to do with myself.

Well, that’s not entirely true.  There is still everything that goes into home life so, in some ways, not much has changed.  But I feel a change.  And I want to work with that.

Space is opening up on the calendar and space is opening up within me.  It’s a space that sometimes feels cramped by the laundry, the meals, the cleaning, the blog writing.  Those first three must go on, but the last one…I can shift that.

I often catch myself thinking that there’s just not enough time.  As soon as I think that, however, I remind myself that there is indeed enough time.  It’s more a question of how I spend my time than it being a question of enough/not enough time.  It’s no small task to decide what gets attention on any given day, but if we are to live with intention and attention…well, we must think about where (and how) we expend our energies.

I decided months ago that I would take a hiatus from this space.  And so that is what I will do.  After today, this space will be quiet for a bit.  I would love for you to join me on Instagram if that’s your cup of tea.  And, if you don’t already receive my monthly notes, I’d love for you to receive those.  Short and simple and, I hope, sweet…on the first of each month.  Click here to sign up. (I’ve got a special downloadable gift coming in the July Notes.  Just sayin’.)  You can also find me contributing here and here.

This summer, I choose conversations at the kitchen table and bike rides with the kids and trips to get ice cream…and, yes, cleaning our house (sigh, it never ends). I also choose my writing and my photography and my heart.  I’m making conscious and heartfelt choices about how I spend my time.  I’m asking the questions and finding some answers.  There is time.  There is time, my friend.

Will you make it??

Sending a little love your way (always), m