"Find a passion and pursue it. Fall in love. Dream big. Eat good food. Share quality time with good friends. Laugh every day. Believe in Magic. Tell stories. Reminisce about the good old days, and look with optimism to the future. Travel often. Learn more. Be creative. Share time with people you admire. Seize opportunities when they reveal themselves. Love with all your heart. Never give up. Do what you love. Be true to who you are. Allow time to enjoy the simple things in life. Smile often. Be grateful. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Follow your dreams. Do new things. Work hard. Be thankful. Be happy. Live for today. And above all, make every moment count."
This quote that one of my yoga teachers just used in her newsletter reminded me that I love blogging, sharing my thoughts and simply writing but I have not done nearly enough of it in a while. It's not like I don't have any time to myself anymore - although I have to admit it sometimes feels that way - I have just chosen to use it for other things. Once out little one is asleep there are of course always chores to be taken care of but I make it a point to think of myself and even if I am super tired to just do a short yoga routine or kriya. And I have to say it works. Of course there are still moments where I am exhausted and would like to just quit everything but I am sure that I'd be going nuts without these little refuge times that I create for myself. Interestingly enough I was reading the secret of happy children last night and the author was putting something forward that was a little surprising to me (but then again, not really): parents need to put their own needs first, then make sure their partnership is working (provided they are part of one) and then of course take care of the children. He very much stresses that no overworked parent who has no time for his or her own needs, can be as giving, patient and happy as the kid deserves him or her to be. Of course this is easier said than done, particularly because there are only so many hours in a day and of course there is work, household etc. etc. But I do think that there is a lot value in critically evaluating what we spend time on and shifting that balance towards the three things mentioned above. For instance he suggests parents spend 10 minutes only with each other once the partner who is working out of the house returns home - without the children interfering - simply talking in a positive way about what has happened or what is on the agenda. Sounds profane but I'm sure it doesn't happen in many households. The same is suggested for spending time with the kids: instead of spending 2 hours half asleep and distracted, he suggests giving them a half an hour of full - undivided attention. I'm not saying, I do this - but it's worth considering.
Instead we all look at our various devices, barely talk, feel stressed and restless. No wonder that is being transmitted to our kids. Yet, it's not easy to change this life style that we all have gotten so used to. Just yesterday I was discussing with a friend why it is that people don't really call each other anymore. My hairstylist got me thinking about this because they used to give me a call to confirm the appointment but now they started texting to confirm. Now, with a hair appointment, maybe that's legitimate but then again - you never know if the text gets read. But it goes way further than that - do you remember the last time you just called up a friend you hadn't talked to in a while? I tried a couple of friends that day and none of them picked up the phone. And I don't blame them the least bit - I am just the same. A phone call might come at an inconvenient time, you're not ready to chat - it's too personal at times. With texting, the other person can respond at their own convenience and it's way less intrusive. Maybe I'm overcomplicating things and the important conversations still happen over the phone, Skype or even - god forbid - in person :-) It's just something I noticed and I am particularly guilty ever since I am staying at home - it's just so easy to get sucked into all these messages, whatsapp groups etc. And let's not say they are all bad - just like Facebook and other social networks they serve a purpose of loosely staying in touch with people and know roughly what is going on in their lives. Yet, they stay very non-committal and I vowed to try to either call people up (maybe texting them in advance and agreeing on a time because it often does not happen otherwise) or try to arrange face to face meetings if possible. It increases the depth of the interaction and your own satisfaction quite substantially. So much for the point above: share quality time with friends. I think I might print out the quote and stick it up our kitchen wall - a great reminder that there is so much out there, we just have to go out and do it, dare to do it or try at the very least. Be open!
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