57.

Day 57_Book of Hours_FULLJPG

There are many quotes from Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, that I would love to include in my Book of Hours.  The above snippet is from one of my favourite passages.

A few sentences later, he writes:

“The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.”

Through my latest creative endeavours, including this scribble project, and even my massive tidying extravaganza, I have been paying more attention to my daily life.  I am becoming more and more aware of what parts of my life that bring me joy.  I am paying attention to what makes life a little more “elastic, starry, and immortal.”

What makes life a little more expansive in my daily life?  What stretches me enough that I can touch the eternal?

My short list:

– Early rising

– Sunrises and coffee with Ever-Patient

– Morning Pages (stream of consciousness writing/prayer/gratitude)

– Solitude/Meditation

– Reading inspiring books and blogs

– Movement: yoga, sprinting on the beach or practicing handstands

– Writing and creating art

– Undivided attention to my children through playing sports with them or made-up games or lego or reading to them or just listening to their ideas and dreams

– Dancing in the car or in the living room

– Beach or pool time with family and friends

– Discarding/letting go of stuff that has served its purpose

– Early bedtimes

As I think ahead to my upcoming homeschooling year, I don’t want to fall victim to routine and lose the magic of our summer days where we are more adventurous and open to the day. When my daughter was little, I would ask her what she wanted to do and she would say, “Let’s see where the wind will take us.”  I want to hold on to that freedom of spirit but also present exciting and beautiful lessons.

As I meditate and reflect on each child before the meat-and-potatoes of planning begins, I visualize them as stars in their own right.  Points of light that I need to connect to make a new family constellation for the year.  Stars that have their own size, glow, and hue.  How can I make them all shine brightly and paint a sky where each of them can help each other shine?

I also need to make room for the little things that I have incorporated into my day as a means to care for myself.  Where will these scribbles lead?  Will I be doing them daily still?  Or will this transform into something else for me?

For now, I will leave these questions right here.  I will simply be grateful for the “success” of my days right now because they are so sweet and rich with small joys.  Even when the day is full of to-dos and the busy-ness of life, if I tend to it with my own recipe, adding the ingredients in the in-between moments – in the car, waiting in line, at the end of the night instead of the beginning – then it is “a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.”

***

100 scribbles…hurriedly writing the here and now.

#100scribbles

 

 


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