Giving up control. I went to Church this morning to come home thinking about Pastor Paul's message about giving up control, not spending our days worrying and filling that space with trust, love, and thankfulness. My mind has been contemplating his sermon in a broader sense taking it beyond the relationship with God to the craziness in which I am living. I remember living alone, in a quiet home, with a clean kitchen, made beds, and room to walk in the living room instead of trenches forged by sliding legos and duplo blocks aside with my foot. I am not saying that I prefer those days but I do, however, fondly miss the simpleness of those times. Today I am not feeling well. Battling a small dose of the flu has me napping the hours away in the early afternoon. Once I emerged from my cocoon the kids were taking naps so the house was at peace. Upon entering the living room I noticed that the special "window safe" crayons the grandparents sent for Valentine's Day had not only created swirls and scribbles on every single window but also on the dining room chairs, teak side table, leather ottoman, and light beige carpeting. Sigh... I, then, enter the kitchen where the dishes from breakfast and lunch are still sitting beside the sink (it is now 3pm). I ignore it all to come upstairs. There I discover the cat is beside himself due to an overdue cleaning needed in the kitty box and laundry piling up in the hallway. How does one juggle this life? Kids, pets, marriage, house, full-time job and many part-time responsibilities. Frustration is an occasional demon making me irritable and impatient. Today I feel mellow looking upon my life with thankfulness. Thankful I have my husband. Thankful I have two amazing, active, healthy children. Thankful I have a new job and thankful for so many more things. Letting go of the control is okay. The dirty dishes can wait - we have clean ones waiting to be used (no worries), legos are everywhere and rule our home life (no worries), the kitty will get a clean box (okay, maybe a little worry on his part!), and the laundry will get done even if it is by one load a day over the course of a lifetime. I write this post so I may revisit it when I feel the "crazy" coming back. Yes, I would like to sit down for a bit today instead of scrubbing pancake batter from the griddle but I am thankful that I got to nap two hours in the middle of the day. Well, the kids are awake and I have the cat nipping at my heels so I must go.
How do you handle the the craziness in your life? Meditation? A hike? Exercise? Glass of wine? They all sound divine to me!
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