Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The Here and Now

 
It's really easy for me to lose my focus. No, I don't have ADHD or anything like that. I'm just a fairly normal human being who gets bored and distracted easily. Probably a little more than others. What happens is, I let discontentment creep in. It creeps in slowly and I don't even notice until that trapped feeling begins to suffocate me. I'm a changer. I enjoy change. Some people are afraid of change. I thrive in change.
 
So what now? I can't move across the country like I've done in the past. I can't even move. Honestly, I love my home and I love my town and I love my state and I love my country. I love my family, friends, church, and our school. So what is wrong with me?! The only answer is obvious. Not always to me but when I think about it, it's clear. It's my focus. I've lost it.
 
One of the reasons that I started blogging was because I wanted to take the time to find the beauty around me. The beauty in the every day. In the ordinary and simple. There are wonderful things going on around me that I don't really notice if I'm not focused on seeing them. Even greater than seeing them is photographing them, with my camera or my phone, it doesn't even matter. When I see them and capture them and post them and blog about them, it's then that I really "see" them.
 
Being a photographer, some times I feel like I shouldn't post photos from my cell phone for some stupid reason, and if my camera isn't handy, I often let amazing moments pass right by me. I'll even forget to tell my family or a friend about something awesome because I never even remember that it happened. I'm so busy feeding people and meeting their survival needs that the beautiful moments in my life are missed or forgotten.
 
I have big dreams and big plans for my family! I'm filled with ideas and about places I want to take them and things I want to do with them. I know how short life is and it can be discouraging when I look at my big list of plans. But I'm going to keep planning and dreaming and working!
 
And in an effort to enjoy the here and now, I'm going to make more time for capturing and sharing the beauty (and some times ugly) of my everyday. 
 
Like, while I read them one of Mary's favorite stories, The Never Forgotten Doll, they drew pictures about the story and then shared them with each other. We practiced sitting still and listening. They need to practice that more often than just in church. They're wild!
   

 
During nap time I started thinking about summer and how much I despise summer time in Tennessee. So I forced myself to go outside and get some shots of our summer yard.

 
The tire swing is the life of the yard. The kids LOVE it! They flock to it and swing on it for hours. Hot or not!

 
My peony bed has been overtaken by these ugly native trees :(

 
A favorite! Mary refuses to bring her shoes in the house. I think every single pair of her shoes has been through a rain storm.

 
Strawberries!

 
And our very late to get started garden. Kinda pitiful right now. Luckily a rain storm flooded the garden right after this (and Mary's Toms by the sandbox).

 
 










2 comments:

  1. You are an incredible writer I just read this to Howard and you could be a writer a children's book themes for homes whatever you wish but your writing is phenomenal. I love the photos and all the comments and I can't wait to get there to see you all by the way what size Tom's does Mary wear LOL

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    1. Thank you! And those Toms have been through several storms already :)

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