There are things that we all start thinking that it is a good idea. And in this time of sheltering in place and social distancing, most of us are catching up on our to do list. I decided to try something that I have never done but my parents did every year. I talked about it with my good friends. Get a garden they said. It would be fun they said.
Well, it has been fun but it has also been a lot of hard work, and I haven’t even planted anything. It is clear that gardening is not for the faint of heart. First, you have to prepare the land, so to speak. Meaning that if you have grass, you have to pull up all of the grass. Lots of bending over, which even when young is not easy on your back.
And then after you clear the grass out, with a hoe (all puns apply here), then you must till the last. Have you ever seen a klutz try to use a big tiller? It is quite entertaining and possibly a bit scary. the little tiller they gave me didn’t quite work as well as it needed too, Apparently I have St. Augustine Grass.
St. Augustine must have been a bit an interesting person, because the grass named after him is a mess of long roots and vines. These strings of the grass wrapped around the tiller and completely jam it up. I spent more time cleaning to the roots and vines from around the blades tan I actually did tilling the land.
And ten I had the bright idea to just do “light tilling” – where I go over the land quickly so that the roots don;t get so tangled up. I did half the garden and proudly looked back, pleased with my great idea. Except that I couldn’t tell the difference between what had been tilled and what had not. It looked exactly the same. At that point I gave up with that tiller. I returned it and excepted that I needed a bigger tiller. The guy at Home Depot agreed.
Today it is raining. but tomorrow, this klutz is renting a huge tiller and tilling to it.
Life is short. try new things.
Month: March 2020
The Thing is
The thing is that I have not written much lately. The thing is that I have been enjoying life an hunkering down a bit and the thing is that I am just happy The things is that I am unpacking a bit, and getting into my garden and getting it ready for planting. The thing is that I have been watching TV. And the thing is that I have been lazy. Just lazy and loving it.
That is the thing about life right now in this day and age, you must be able to enjoy your life. In this day and age of social distancing, avoiding anyone who coughs and all the restaurants being shut down, is that possible? Yes, I believe it is. First off, as an extroverted introvert, alone time has never bothered me, as long as I have access to others. An’d thanks to technology, I do.
But I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything. I don’t even have to get dressed if i don’t have to. So why is everyone panicking? Because it is different, it is new. It is a giant world wide social and economic experiment to work from home and shelter in place. But it doesn’t have to be negative.
I think that this is forcing everyone to slow down a a bit. Instead of having to rush in the morning and get ready and commute to the office, we are sleeping just a little later, having coffee, an working from home. We are slowing down because all social activities have be cancelled, so now what?
It is easy to say do all of those things that you have been meaning to do, cross things off that to do list. But it is more than that. It is taking the time to breath, to reset, to recognize those things that are important to you. It is reconnecting with family and loved ones, and friends. Now that we have n where to go, we can truly make our time about what makes us happy. Even if we cannot see our loved ones, we can “Video chat” with them. We can watch movies with our children and partners. We can read that book, or just relax and be lazy as I have been.
So take advantage of this time. When the world is back to normal we will miss it, we will long for those days when we had to be home with our loved ones.
Life is short, so you might as well find the best part of a situation anyway. So low down, breath, meditate, exercise, spend time with those you love. Do what you can to put your heart at ease, even when the rest of the world seems to be going crazy and hoarding toilet paper like it will save them from the zombies (what is up with that anyway?). And relax.
Love the Wonder of Things
Life is comprised of many different moments and memories. And it in those moments that we will find happiness and fulfillment. The reason why I say this is that if we can find the wonderful, the magic, the reasons to smile in all the little moments and memories in life, then we have truly found the key to living a happy life.
Those little moments happen much more than those big moments and htings. So find the magic in the every day, the wonderful in the normal, the miracle in the mundane, then nothing can keep us down.
I truly love my life.This place where I am, and doing what I am doing. But it is all those little moments that make life worth while for me. Those perfect meals, the favorite song playing, perfect weather or a beautiful sunset. It is texting with a friend, sharing laughs and stories, late night conversations, making plans, building a life here, in this place. It is getting settled in, unpacked and making this place a home. It is mowing the yard, drinking a tall cold glass of water, or a good glass of wine.
It is enjoying a good movie or TV show, wrapping up in a favorite blanket on a comfy couch, it is sharing little moments and thoughts. It is making dreams, working hard, playing harder and wanting more, then resting well.
I sat outside tonight and was bursting with thankfulness for this wonderful life. For the beautiful night, for the wine, for my little backyard, and this happy little house of mine. I have everything for which I have wanted and prayed. And that is quite extraordinary.
It is all of those little things combined that make one big happy life. It is the combination of all of those little moments – that’s the secret to the fountain of youth, because being happy is the way to keep a young heart.
Life is short, take the time to not only notice, but to appreciate and fall in love with those little things in life. Because all those little things add up big time.
By a Yard
It was all grown up, almost a jungle,with thick weeds everywhere and some of them getting waist high. It was my back yard and it was getting a little scary. Not sure when it was mowed last, certainly not since I moved in. I was hoping it could wait until I had a yard person that came, but things grow ridiculously fast here. If I waited another few days I was afraid the weeds would take over not only the yard but the house too.
It was time to do was was necessary, would had to be done, regardless of how hard it would be. It was time to mow the back yard. With my little weed eater. Yes, a weed eater. So armed with a string tied to a circular motor, I was went out as the weed slaying mistress that I am, because I had a job to do.
It was hard. A mile of string was probably used int he process, and I saw way too many huge spiders than I ever wanted to see (they say everything is bigger in Texas, apparently that includes the spiders too). Needless to say I will never again go around barefoot in the back yard after seeing those big things lurking under the blades of grass and weeds.
A few hours (yes hours…it was a small weed eater), it was done. The task was complete and I had a wonderful sense of accomplishment. And I was green and covered with grass clippings. I never knew grass and dirt could make you itch that much, and in places I don;t even want to mention.
But at the end, the yard looked great.
And that is the thing about life, even when it looks hard, if we work hard and do what has to be done, we can accomplish whatever we set out minds to. And for me, it all is about getting things set up here in this new place. It feels good to have life together, it feels good to me making friends and seeing new places. It feels good to have new experiences that make me smile and laugh and enjoy life. Indeed, lunch with friends this week and a visit to a museum this weekend have me walking on my tiptoes, especially after such a great weekend.
Life is short. Drink it up, every second, every moment, every smile, every good day. Even when the work is hard, we can enjoy what that work brings. Whether by the mile, by the foot, or by the yard….happiness is coming. So buckle up, it’s going to be a fun ride.
Self Care
We hear the phrase self care all of the time. We know that we must take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. Yet why is it so hard to take the time and rescorcrs to do that?
One of the promises I made to myself when I moved was that I would take care of myself better. I would stop being such a people pleaser and yes person, and I would do things that were truly good for me.
I let myself get run down taking care of everyone else over the last few years. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to move and get a new start was to create a new healthier habits for myself, self care being one of them. And it is definitely working. Today I took myself out I get my nails done. I’ve been here about a month and have been hard at work unpacking, organizing, getting settled, working, I’m trying to have a social life.
And today I press pause on that busy schedule, walking to the salon, left my cell phone in the car, and enjoyed an hour and a half of pure Bliss and pampering. The result was not so simply pretty nails, I was more relaxed and happy at the end of the session.
And so I make his promise to myself, to do more little things for myself, things that I enjoy. Every single day is a gift, and if we truly treat it like that not only do we appreciate what’s around us, we appreciate ourselves enough be good to ourselves. If everyday is a gift, then we should do the things that we enjoy, because life can change in a second.
And when you think about it it does make sense. There was no better investment you can make in this life than in yourself. Make the investment in your peace of mind, in your health, in your body, and your mental health, and in your own happiness. If you don’t take care of yourself no one else will. And if you don’t love yourself enough to take care of yourself, then no one else will either.
So this week was getting the house in order, and pampering myself. Next week starts the physical exercise and taking classes. And every single day there is thankfulness and gratefulness in my heart for this wonderful life that I have been gifted. Everyday I will show my appreciation by taking care of myself so I can take care of those I love.
Life is short, you cannot pour from an empty cup. So make sure that you take care of yourself and you keep yourself happy that you can make others and those are that you love happy as well. Is taking a long time for me to learn this lesson, and it’s a lesson I will not soon forget.
Close and Begin
Happy girls are the prettiest girls – Audrey Hepburn
This weekend was a celebration of life. It was the close of one and for me it marks the start of another. I could not escape the symbolism and message of this celebration happening on the 3rd anniversary of my father’s death. And I could not escape the feeling that my parents were smiling saying to me – ” Enough of this sadness. you took care of us and did right by your family. You life is your now. Use it and have fun. Go and be happy.”
And I am happy, actually blissful. I am so happy I am walking on my tiptoes again, smiling and skipping around the house. I am actually humming and breaking out into giggles I am so happy. It has been years since I felt this happy this light, this blissful.
Moving forward will be easy at this point, because the fog of grief has lifted and it is time for the good times to come. I feel it deep within my heart and even my soul. It is a happiness that only comes from being incredibly sad and seeing the darkest parts of life and yourself. And when you get to the other side, it is your life returned to you. and in that sense, it is magnificent.
And it is a happiness that comes from within, not from anything external. Because when you are happy with yourself, everything else good that happens just adds to you r bliss. Until life feels like a hot fudge Sunday with lots of fudge and extra whipped cream.
And this is where I am, at peace with the past and happy with myself and in love wih my life.
Life is short. Never take a single day for granted. And hwen you are in that good happy place, be thankful. Because you enjoy life that much more when you appreciate it and those around you.
AdaLamar's Blog 