In an effort to be a good parent to our little one, I have been reading The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies. Out of the many things that I have found interesting, this one jumped out. The chapter in question speaks on different things adults should do for themselves in order to be better parents. One of her topics is spending time on her own. She believes that giving herself some space “helps her be intentional about how she lives each day, rather than reacting to what life throws at her” (Chapter 8, page 273).
Setting up some room in her day helps her plan, collect her thoughts, and refuel her so her goals are clearer and she is a step ahead from the day’s surprises and challenges.
In the last few months I have been pondering on how in life, the happy moments are married to some sort of challenge. You cannot have one without the other. Yay, you bought a house, but now you have a repair or have additional expenses. Amazing, you finished school but have to find a job or need to get used to the one you started. We yearn to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, to then realize that there wasn’t enough gold to keep us running and that the search for the new rainbow has started. If we would only take a step back to see how the journey is a huge part of the prize.
The time where we stop and smell the roses, or reassess our path, is essential to keeping us grounded and collected throughout the journey. When our eyes our focused on what is right in front of us, we might not have enough energy to keep on with the fight. We might make a decision based on what’s located in our closest proximity instead of on the whole region.
Our lives are so rushed and are constantly pushed into the public eye without giving us a chance to process and think what, where, when, or why. We wake up and just go through the motions and time off or fun with friends can’t take away the boredom and routine, because we don’t even know what we are feeling. We walk around with heavy shoulders and feeling so dissatisfied, and when something goes wrong, our reaction might not be the healthiest one.
Our bodies are programmed to pause for a third of the day and rest. We should take a hint and pause for our mind and emotions to process, refresh, and restore what has been affected. A short walk, a bath, baking, or even cleaning if that is your thing, are just examples of simple things we can implement on a regular basis where the focus is on us or we have time to think.
We’ve spoken before about the importance of planning. It is a struggle for me on a daily basis, but the benefits and final results encourage me to continue trying. Set some time aside, and use a timer if needed, to help you unpack your daily life and be replenished to keep going.
Thriving in Simplicity 