Cupcakes, a Park and Time Well-Spent

I have a chronic malady. It's seems I have a complete inability to live in the present moment. I'm quite aware of the problem. I try very, very hard not to over-plan every detail of the future with intricate lists. (And decidedly, I'm succeeding at letting a few areas of my life go. Dusty house. Tombstone pizzas to the rescue.) But just as I've always assumed my eyes were forged on the future, life makes me blink and think twice about the past.

Alex and the dessert at Jones Brothers Cafe

This weekend I insisted that our family activity consist of something interactive. No movies for the Kramer cinema-junkies.  No siree. Perhaps we take in a friendly game of Laser Tag. Or brush up on some hitting in the batting cages at Rockbrook Village. Whatever. At least we wouldn't be watching...we'd be mixing it up by DOING.

Yeah. Well, that baseball movie came out this weekend. You know the one. Moneyball with Brad Pitt? So. It's a rare occasion that the hubby is so ardent about a film. But it's about baseball.

I found a compromise. The Aksarben Village sponsors a Farmers Market - right next to a theatre. So, perhaps we could take in the Farmers Market, then the movie. Well, the idea was a lovely one. Until we arrived at the event by approximately one hour too late. Sigh.  So we were down to just another weekend at the cinema, right?

Wrong. Before the movie, I became incredibly enlightened. Thus, my realization of my inability to live in the present moment began to dawn...

• At the Jones Brother Cafe, I watched an adorable baby/toddler (age completely unknown?) make an interminable mess of a cupcake and himself. It was obviously hilarious for the onlookers. The amazing part? His parents were laughing as well. Roll back thirteen years. Not me as a parent...I would NOT have enjoyed that moment. And why? I would've been thinking about getting the stains off Alex's adorable outfit. Silly. Stupid. Unimportant. That baby we saw yesterday? He has cool parents. Maybe I should get a nose ring and a tattoo.
• Cole has grown up. We went out to the lovely park (where the Farmers Market had been set up) to soak in the sun and watch the baby of the family climb around in the play area. Not an option. A ten-year old scares little kids away. (Did you know that?) We still let him run like a lune a across the wide lawn of grass. And yes, we timed him. Good scores too. We told him that, anyway.
• There were assorted dogs, puke on the sidewalk, kids on bikes (with helmets!) and parents trying to fly a kite in a breezeless sky. And I wondered why we didn't do this with our kids more. What did we do with our kids when they were young? Watch Spongebob?

Hope you enjoy-my Hydrangeas

Did you catch it? I'm either completely concerned with making plans for the future or immersed in what I didn't do in the past?  

You see, I had a wonderful day yesterday- and I almost forgot to notice it. 

Oh Yeah! Don't Forget To Live!

I've been through a brutal few weeks of enduring headaches which drifted into migraines, all while trying to be the perfect mother, wife, daughter, manager, friend, writer, banker, blah, blah, blah...

Then I went to a conference and heard a story. A simple, yet sad story that seemed to transform something within me. The condensed version is this: A lady, who was dying of cancer, suddenly realized that she had forgotten to live her life.

That sort of struck me. Let me rephrase. That really, really struck me. How many days go by do I find myself forgetting to watch a sunset, listen to the wind, or just watch my kids? And I mean really soak in the essence of my amazing kids...not just make sure they're safe or ensure they're fed.

I've spent an awful lot of time in the past few years trying to get some books published...and in the process sort of forgot that I was doing it because I like to write. No more will I be working every available minute to find an agent. I'm gonna write when I feel like writing. And enjoy the process along the way -- hopefully make a few others smile as well. Who cares if I ever get published? I have an awesome life as it is.

Who do I owe this great transformation? Probably the biggest influence was a speaker by the name of Sonia Choquette. I'm reading her book titled The Answer is Simple- Love Yourself. Live Your Spirit. It's pretty amazing. Check out her website and if you have a chance to see this lady, do it! You just might find yourself again.

Wow. That was pretty serious for this mom-blogger...but I've got some good kid stories in the hopper. Until next time...

What I Need To Get Done!

Monday:
1. Sleep until 9:00
2. Review session at 10:30
3. Go to Jessup and pay bill
4. Study for Lit & Theory exam.
5. Drink with Meg and Jean.
Tues:
1. Go to class 15 minutes early, practice progressions.
2. Dictation exam (8:30)
3. 9:30 to 10, practice sight singing.
4. Chem lecture at 10:30
5. 4:30 watch Jeopardy and clean room.
6. Go jogging after supper.

...As I was digging through some sheet music the other day, I found an old tablature notebook from my freshman year in college. Not only did I find Led Zeppelin lyrics, alphabetic listings of my favorite rock bands and music assignments, but I also found a few pages of my lists! Above is a small example. Look at the time I had in between my tasks...that was quite a life. Interesting...There were few "practice piano" tasks for being a piano major. Apparently it was more important to keep my mind sharp by watching Jeopardy.

Oh, to be young again. On the way home from Chicago, my family had to endure another walk down memory lane as we drove through Iowa City. Luckily for Doug, there was a jazz festival going on downtown. As we walked through the crowd, I was immersed in the energy of the eclectic youth surrounding us.

My college to-do lists left plenty of time for leisure. Perhaps I need to take a lesson from my youth. My current lists are chock full, from sun-up to sun-down. Why is that? Because obviously, I haven't grown wiser with age...but, guess what? I'm gonna change...so before I sign off to "live in the moment", I'll leave you with this poignant Kung Fu Panda quote:

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift -- that's why it's called the present."

A day at the Chicago Field Museum...living in the moment by walking through the glorious past...

Perfect Day...Perfect Moment

I'm sitting outside right now, watching my son climb up the basketball hoop pole, with a big toothy grin...now he's hanging from the top and he jumps. And my heart flip flops in anticipation of his injury. But no harm done. He was merely trying to get away from his sister in an intense game of hide and seek. Now he wants me to give him a boost. No way. I will not be an accomplice to a premeditated accident.

Doesn't matter. Alex decided to boost him up. Apparently it's not hide and seek anymore. It's just a game of climbing the pole. They are giggling uncontrollably. Yes, this is one of those oh-so-perfect moments.

Have I mentioned that this is my first day of a two-week vaca?

Today, I vacuumed (actually moving the furniture and finding a SIPPY CUP! Yes, my youngest is 7. We took those things away a long time ago.)...mopped the floor...finished two loads of laundry (I'm almost caught up!)... watered flowers and moved some pots for aesthetic purposes...and you know what else I did?

I rested. I'm pretty much resting right now as I look over our lush, green panoramic vista and feel the balmy breeze gently roll through our...Hold that thought...Alex and Cole came over to join me and the dog. (How's that for a scene?) Alex decided to pop Cole over the head, for no apparent reason. The oh-so-perfect moment evaporates.

For just a little while. I'm back to listening to the breeze. I wonder why I don't make myself do this every night.I never do this. Just relish in the moment. It's quite delightful, really.

Even with a dog drooling all over my Mac.