May 23, 2016

Life is for the Living


I have it on good authority (from my Sweet Man) that I have not been blogging often enough. All I can say is, my life seems to be filled with a lot of living and not nearly enough time spent behind a camera, keyboard, sewing machine or book.


I would very much like to change that. Summer starts for us in a matter of days and I have big plans to make few plans. It just seems like the right thing to do right now. A long lazyish, unplanned, fly by the seat of our pants, follow our whims kind of summer.


There will be no summer bucket lists, no list of things that make us feel obligated and pressured. There will still be fun and adventures but what they might be, I could not tell you. There are only a few things on the calendar and I think that is the perfect amount. The best of days can be found among the ordinary ones. A day that dawns like any other, can become the kind that you want to memorize every moment of. I plan to have my fill of those.


May has been full. More full than it would seem a month could or should be. May has meant: a college graduation, Mother's Day, an awards ceremony, a ballet recital, an orchestra concert, a musical, a bathroom renovation, bronchitis, doctor's appointments, a lung scan, cat surgery, a trip to Virginia and various and assorted lunches, dinners and drinks on the porch. We are packing a lot of living into these 31 days and that is it's own beauty.


To me the real beauty is in slowness, in having time to stop and smell the peonies instead of feeling like you are rushing through life, crossing one thing after another off your to do list. While this month  was full and has been lived at full speed, I am ready to shift gears now, and to choose what my days look like.

10 comments:

  1. Yes indeed. Sounds like May was pretty full, and sometimes it is nice to just step back and take things nice and slow. Exactly what I just commented on someone's blog. We work ourselves into frenzies thinking we have to do this or that, thinking we should do certain things for the expectations of others, when really, we can choose, and sometimes doing nothing at all is a wonderful thing. Enjoy the summer!

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  2. I feel the same. I miss blogging more often and think of it a lot but I never seem to get to it. May has been a busy month for you. Here's to a June full of sitting on that gorgeous front porch of yours!!

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  3. Jen, I couldn't agree with you more, beauty is in slowness & enjoying the every day simplicity like your beautiful peonies, they look wonderful!
    Anna xx

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  4. Just reading this post made me feel a sense of calm. Sounds like the perfect summer to me. We have only one thing planned this summer and the rest will be hanging by our pool for the first time at our new house. I don't want to spend a lot of money and I don't want to have to deal with crowds of people. Summer is for lazing and we're going to take full advantage of it when we can. : ) Have a beautiful rest of your week, Jen!! xo

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  5. When I look at your list for May, I'm wondering how you had time to get any chores done.

    Enjoy your lazy "planless" summer.

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  6. I hope that your summer goes smoothly, quiet and relaxing! Who had the bronchitis - you? Whomever it was...I hope that you (or a family member) is doing much better. xoxo

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  7. Your summer of no plans sounds like pure heaven to me!

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  8. I should really get back to blogging also but the whole life thing takes over and its hard to take just a few minutes for it. Here's to a smooth and relaxing summer! We need it here also. : )

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  9. You are so lucky to choose your days ahead. I am looking forward to when I retire and I don't work too hard! My husband retired and I wanted to work, but some days I just wish I had nothing to do!

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  10. 1. I love all your beautiful flowers--those peonies! Our bushes only yielded one bloom this summer, but you better believe I enjoyed it to the fullest! 2. Your summer sounds absolutely ideal! After what seems like a crazy-full year, I am longing for laid-back and unplanned. 3. Even though I'm thankful for where we are, I'm kinda sad we're not in VA anymore--because then I could have seen you! :)

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