I fell asleep almost immediately upon laying down in bed last night.
And every one of us slept in at least an hour later than usual.
We were exhausted, aching, and satisfied with all we'd gotten done over the past two days.
We spent Monday in the garden trying to rescue our plants after days of heavy rain and hail that battered their leaves and washed away much of our soil.
There was soil to move, seeds to re-cover, thistles to pull, and so much mulching to be done.
And the day was was hot like summer.
So when Lupine asked if we could drive to town to swim in the public pool I realized that we all needed a break. No matter how many starts were left to go in the soil.
And then I reminded her that we had a creek and a swimming hole just beyond the pasture and her mouth dropped open in amazement as she remembered.
Oh yes! That!
There was still much work to be done, but before I knew it we had dropped our tools and were running down to the stream for a cooling dip (and a little knitting and banjo playing, of course).
Oh, my. Just what we needed at the end of a long and busy weekend.
Yes. It was time to put down our tools.
Sometimes it's hard to stop once you've gotten started, isn't it?
The
to-do list is always long and always growing. As soon as you cross an item off another
one – or two, or three – appear on the list. There is so much to do we could start at sunup and not quit until long after bedtime and barely make a dent.
I began the weekend full-steam, gutting my sewing room and starting over. (Sorry about that "during" photograph above. Scray stuff!)
Cobbled out of a tiny bedroom, the space is way too small for everything I had going in there, so I needed to call a radical do-over.
And for me anyway, I always expect projects like this to take two hours and they usually end up taking two weeks, no matter how many hours I throw at it.
I could have kept at it.
Unending until the work was done, but at what cost? This project can wait, but this day can not. So I seek out balance where I can, pausing for a walk or to read a book to my kids or to churn a batch of ice cream.
Because we have stuff to get done and a life to live – all at once.
So I'm always seeking balance. In my own wonky way.
Because we need to pause. To rest. To play.
We need to say "I've done enough" sometimes, and set down our tools, where ever we stand.
The projects are trailing out in front of me seemingly endlessly, yet it’s really exciting…and the “down time” in between projects tastes all the more sweet! The joys of a new space to call home! 🙂
You are right.
I’m curious how your husband handles this. Mine seems to be eternally frustrated by that long list, assuming that since it isn’t done the balance isn’t correct. He becomes frustrated that homeschooling, or time with our son, or anything that could look at all like play is taking the place of working. Do you and your husband share the same priority list, or is this an example of years of balance making?
Your posts are very inspiring! Many of them reflect so much of what I feel and think too!
Here too. But what a joy to have a Home to do the work in. (Love you!)
“Years of balance making”… yes, it is part that, but also part personality. This is the guy who convinced me to spend part of my student loan money on a new snowboard when I was 22, mind you… (Yes, really.) I think it mostly thought comes down to noticing that we’ll never get it done, and life only happens now. Homeschooling and time with your son can only happen now. You don’t get to make this time up. Hugs.
i love the pile photo. i am very familiar with this. xoxo. go jump in the creek!
A timely reminder as I head into a new summer job and at least a 12-straight-day streak of work. Finding that balance is so hard sometimes. Falling on the too-much-play side of things is no fun either; it leaves me gasping under the weight of undone things. You have reaffirmed a desire to seek just the right balance this summer!
Thank you for this post. It is timely for me as I struggle with our never ending and ever growing “to do” list…..in addition to the everyday stuff of life. Lately, I’ve been a bit paralyzed by the list.
I love the blue bonnet and am very familiar with the work-in-progress photo – it goes well with many areas of our home.:)