As someone who loves routine and thrives on organization and planning, coming home from 3 weeks on the road isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But, I really enjoyed the time away. It was a change of pace, a change of scenery, a different lifestyle; and it was time spent with some of the people that I love the most in the whole entire world.
I can find and create routines anywhere; but that sacred time away together….it’s precious and not something that our typical fast paced world fosters.
As we settle back into familiar routines and create new ones to serve us now, I’m aware of what we had in that time and space. It is a gift, a blessing. It’s not something to be taken for granted and in someways I’m missing it. A grieving, if you will. Not in a heartbroken or heart wrenching way but just a wistful awareness that our cherished time together is done.
In these moments, I purpose to look for the beauty in the world around me. Not to distract myself from my feelings; but to create a sense of balance within. To acknowledge that I can hold that duality of life that I mentioned previously. I can be both sad and happy. I can remember the past and look forward to the future. I can long for something and be satisfied within.
We took Gia for a walk yesterday and in the last couple of weeks, while we’ve been away, so many flowers have started to bloom. There is an incredible number of tulips in the gardens in our neighbourhood teeming with different color’s and varieties. Between the flowers blooming and the magnolia trees and cherry blossom trees, there is so much color and life. It’s extraordinarily gorgeous.
It’s easy to become complacent and not really notice the beauty in our world because it’s there all the time. Sometimes, we need to purposefully choose to see the good so we can benefit from it. Our negativity biases can trap us in a loop and it’s not “natural” to see beyond that. We need to make a concerted effort to do things differently.
If you are feeling discouraged or down or even if you just want to be more aware of the beauty around you and the things you have to be thankful for, I’d challenge you to take a month and either search out beautiful things each day or do a gratitude challenge. It will change you in the most amazing ways.
When you start focusing on the good and beautiful things in your life, you become so much more aware of all the things you have to be thankful for.
PS. My sourdough starter activated after 3 weeks in the fridge. So bubbly and happy. It might seem a silly thing but it makes me happy. I experience delight just seeing it double and knowing that it will soon be delicious bread to nourish my family.
