One Balanced Life

Or perhaps scattered, unglued, undone, out of control? You can't find your keys, your wallet, your to do list - or lost the items somewhere in your mind that you meant to put on your list? I'm guessing I'm not the only one. In fact I know I'm not. A friend and I walked around the lake and settled in to watch the kids play at the beach, desperate for caffeine, she asked me to watch her little one while she ran to get coffee. After her return we chatted about how both of us felt a little crazy - too much going on, etc. When we packed up to leave she couldn't find her keys (which isn't first for her and she usually discovers them in some weird spot). As I walked away I looked down at my stroller and saw the coffee picked it up and there they were. Obviously confusing my double stroller for her single she put them there, a logical spot if you were a little sleep deprived and unhinged. We laughed knowing the crux of the problem was about not slowing down enough to be present. Rushing through the moments, reacting not responding. I find myself needing to slow down and hit the pause button, as a favorite mentor says. There is so much power in connecting to the moment. What can you do right now, tomorrow, this week to slow down and just be?

Now if I can just find my glasses I'd be able to see it all clearly.

As I listened to my son creeping upstairs to my bed this morning I couldn't help but smile at his attempt to be quiet. After crawling up and snuggling down between us, he proceeded to gently brush the hair away from my face and placed his hand under my cheek (something he has done since he was a baby). Overwhelmed with gratitude for my blessings I told him that this was my favorite part of the day and he softly replied, "I haven't had my favorite part of the day yet."

For my son this gratitude practice of pointing out our favorite parts of the day is a familiar one. My husband and I started it before children and have carried on the tradition...we do it a meals, in the car, at bed, or in the soft moments before dawn.  Hoping it will encourage my children to pause and reflect on what they are grateful for , I carry on the tradition with them.

A gratitude practice is tremendously powerful tool that can really help you change your outlook. And changing our thinking changes our world. Oprah's practice of writing down the things you are grateful for daily may work for you, perhaps a moment of reflection is all you need, or invite your kids to participate. It is delightful to hear what they come up!