There are only so many hours in a day.
Of course you know that.
All too well at times.
And there are two ways to make that statement.
With acceptance and grace, or with the belief that you let yourself down. Again.
I prefer to say it with a shoulder shrug and an "Eh, so be it," ease rather than a furrowed brow as I race around the house or garden as the sun goes down, trying to squeeze in just one. More. Task.
(Although I'll admit to being there at times, too.)
I can't do it all.
Neither can you.
And I'm not waving the white flag of surrender to all that is left undone. Rather I'm embracing what I have accomplished and forgiving the rest.
Yesterday we picked apples from a nearby organic orchard. On a whim. We went there for cider and came home with bushels of seconds.
And the next thing I knew I was processing sauce long after bedtime.
And as I lifted the last batch out of the water and headed upstairs to bed, I saw the bushel and a half of apples left to process.
There was the crossroad.
And we all stand there dozens of time each day.
Which path would I choose?
Instead of work-left-undone, I saw abundance. Nourishment. A fine day at the orchard with my kids, climbing trees. I saw 25 pints of apple sauce for winter. I saw September.
Because how we perceive this day is this day.
In truth I've abandoned my green beans, luscious as they are. I have more than my garden's share of tomatoes dropped off the vine and rotting in the garden. And just yesterday I realized that I missed elderberry season all together.
Fail. Fail. Fail.
But I've been laughing and reading books to my kids. Working hard on my business. Digging potatoes, seeding the pasture, and filling the freezer.
Win! Win! Win!
So to hell with what I haven't done. I've done plenty.
Even if that list contains only, "Woke to see another day."
What I've done is enough.
Who I am is enough.
And yes, my friend, the same is true for you.
Love,
Rachel
Way to start my day by enabling a guilt dump!
Amen!
I am someone who seriously needs this reminder, to be happy with all I have accomplished. I am also about to abandon my beans but only for a while. At the end of October or beginning of November, depending on how wet it has been, the beans left on the trellis are nice and dry. We take them off the trellis and get rid of the dryed pod and have plenty of dried beans for soup. There is nothing more satisfying in the winter than soup made with my own beans, my own canned tomatoes, my carrots from the root cellar and seasoned with herbs from my boxes in the front yard.
I am in the same boat. Walk by the tomatoes and notice that they are being eaten by slugs. Shrug. Have to get back to the kids or something else. Note a great zucchini recipe – two weeks ago and the zucchini is still waiting. Totally missed the dill harvest. And a lot of the lettuce went to waste. Yet, we did make jars of applesauce, muffins, strawberry sauce, frozen green beans, and more. And we are saving seed from that lettuce, and the leftover spinach and other produce. I needed this lovely reminder to focus on the wins. Thank you.
Thanks 🙂 Again. Always the right thoughts at the right moment to keep my day on track
Oh, how I really need to hear that. Perfectly timed. Thank you. And for what it’s worth, you are pulling off so much! 🙂
Thanks ! the thoughts i really needed to read…
Yes! When they started to get woody and I abandoned them I decided to check back on them after the cold comes. I’m hoping some will be ready for shelling! Happy day.
Hear hear!
I love you Rachel! My “not enough” is on a much smaller scale garden wise, but darnit, I really do want to at least get a few cukes worth of fridge pickles done! We did manage to use our big Brandywine toms in sauce last night and I’ve been steadily eating the cherry toms as they ripen 🙂 Green beans are a whole other story! Oh well…there’s always next year!
Thanks – I needed that.
I couldn’t agree with you more! It is all about perspective. Thanks for the reminder to stay positive! 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful post. You always bring such a calming perspective. I had just such a day today– one of the last gorgeous, warm, sunny days we’ll have up here before winter, I’m sure. I was digging some additional garden beds for next year, worrying over the corn I’d picked but hadn’t frozen, what to do with the tomatoes that hadn’t ripened…but then my son and daughter wanted to pretend to be butterflies and blow bubbles so I ended up doing that instead. The rest can wait– or just not get done– these days (I mean the days of them wanting to play like that, and with me at all) will be gone before I know it.
Oh how every word of this is so true. I just said to someone today how I wish there were more hours in the day. I also said that I cannot complain because I too have been enjoying putting food up, and diving in to my business, and playing with the kiddos, even if some of it has me staying up way past my bedtime. I have created the moments and try (very hard sometimes) to enjoy every moment of it 🙂
Amen! You HAVE done plenty, and it’s all amazing.
I think we all (those of us down this path of making from scratch filling our own larder) must remember that most people don’t do it alone. There is a group of people putting food bye. Daughters and sons, sisters aunts or grandmothers helping out. I can’t imagine your Amish friend doing it all alone.
This post was beautiful though. 🙂
Thanks again, Rachel. Your thoughts are always so on par with my own, I just lack the gift of articulation (I have other gifts, though!). I am so glad that you take the time to come here and share.
I just discovered your blog! What a shame I hadn’t found it sooner but I feel very lucky to have found it now. Your gorgeous images drew me in. Your simple and honest words kept me here.
Looking forward to reading more.
Welcome, Ashley! So glad you found your way over.
Yes you do! Thanks, Julie.
So very true.
I write lists…and more lists, of things I want to get done and I love crossing items off on those lists. But I really love being outside, reading, knitting, following my 20month old around, trying to play with the older one (while following the baby around.) Some days that have a long list and nothing crossed off I find frustrating but mostly I’m ok. The floor will still be there tomorrow, the laundry will still be dirty tomorrow…you get the idea. Carpe Diem!
yes. and yesterday I made a “done” list rather than a “to-do” list so I could feel good about all the “extras” I got done along with lesson planning and crabby teething baby holding, rather than feel guilty about the laundry I didn’t fold or the bathroom that didn’t get cleaned…
Love your encouragement. Thank you for telling me what I need to hear! God Bless You!
What a wonderful post, and such beautiful photography. There’s always more to do and be and it’s so important to savour what we already have done and are! Thank you for this.