Sometimes You're The Windshield...

But today I felt like the bug!

The last few weeks have not been good for my tummy.  I've been overly sensitive {hormone changes with a new IUD}, my IBS has been an issue, I helped with a wedding last weekend {I love the bride and groom, but overly stressed myself trying to make sure my contributions were perfect...I can't help it}, and work is well...work.

Today, the stress culminated in waking up in the wee hours of the morning with pain in my guts I have not felt in a very long time.  The pain was so strong it took my breath away and I flung my arm out while waking up and accidentally smacked Dylan in the head.  He didn't wake up, but after recounting my ordeal to him this evening, he then started telling me his back and shoulders were aching.  I'm clearly skeptical of my contribution to those pains!

On my ride home today, I rode with the windows down and the radio off.  I needed quiet and maybe I was hoping the rushing air would take some of my worries away.  I often forget to let the little things go.  More often than I care to admit.  I worry about things I have no control over.  More often than I care to admit.  Little stuff...stuff that to most people wouldn't even register. 

Yet, strangely enough, I'm a big picture kind of person.  Normally, big picture folks don't focus on the minutia.  I'm a planner {by heart, not trade} and find details to be tedious, but yet I obsess about them anyway.  I'm also a do-er, not a talker.  I believe in making a decision and doing it - I can't stand endless circular discussions.  But yet, I'm a list-maker.  I make endless lists that are impossible to finish and tackle them head-on {often with unrealistic expectations of completion times}.

Sometimes, when too much is added to my plate, I sit frozen, at my desk or at home, and feel crippled by the weight of having so much to do and too much in my head and not enough time.

Patience and realistic expectations are not something I have been allowing myself for quite some time.  I have been trying to prove that I'm capable for so long that I've forgotten to stop and self-check my capabilities. 

I AM capable.  I AM able.  But I also need to go easier on myself.  Stop worrying, stop obsessing, just stop.  Take more time to laugh at myself and the world around me.  Take more time to enjoy the time I have with my husband, friends, and family. 

It's easy to forget what is really important when you focus on stuff that isn't. 

Amen.

Busy Bee!

This past month has flown by without nary a hi or bye from me.  And for that...I am truly sorry!  My Facebook posts have been limited {at best}, but I have been busy!  Just like for everyone else...time marches on whether you have time or make time to blog about what you've been busy doing.  And I certainly haven't been very good at blogging lately {or cleaning my house, or putting my laundry away, or exercising, or...}

But...BUT...I have been good at enjoying the beautiful blooming EVERYTHING around me!  Here are a few of the amazing plants that have been painting my yard into a masterpiece this Spring!

Our azaleas on the way out :(

Bearded iris!  I LOVE these flowers.

Ben Franklin peonies.  They don't look real to me!

Coral bells and Sedum.

Holy hosta-moly.  The hostas have taken over this year!

Earth Day 2013!

I love Earth Day.  It's like a pre-birthday celebration for my crunchy granola heart :)  It falls close to Arbor Day...another day I love that is totally dedicated to trees.  Can you tell I was born to be a tree-huggin', water-lovin', "don't pollute, give a hoot" kind of gal?

Oh yeah!

Well?  So, who cares if it's Earth Day?  Who cares about trees?

Other than the obvious "I DO" statement, I will say "we all SHOULD."

And no, it's not about what state of nature we leave to our grandchildren, I'm talking about caring because of the changes we have seen and can see in our very own lifetime.

I'm talking about diverting recyclable waste from our landfills, not throwing cigarette butts on the ground, composting our kitchen waste when we can.  I'm talking about carrying reusable shopping bags everywhere {I have several stashes!}.  And how about a meatless Monday {hey!  It's Monday!}?

Great American Cleanup for Isle of Wight County - April 6, 2013.

There are so many little things we can teach ourselves to do, one at a time, that eventually compound into a reduced foot print on the Earth that provides so much to us.  I didn't wake up one morning and decide to reduce, reuse, and recycle the rest of my life.  Just like every other life skill...this change takes practice, too.

My homemade greenhouse on the patio...and a dog behind :)

I learned to plant a garden from my parents when I was a child.  I did not grow my own until almost 30 years later.  I didn't learn about recycling and how to recycle until I was in my early 20's.  I didn't own a reusable bag until I was in my mid-20's and at that time, it was a total novelty to me that I thought made me look cool in a college town, but a weirdo in the small town I was living in back home.  I didn't compost until I moved to VA...and even now, I have a love-hate relationship with my piles and my tumbler {I keep saying the compost won't listen to me...when really, I'm not paying enough attention to it!}

My potatoes are taking off!  I have some delicious dinners coming up soon!

What I'm saying is this.  There is nothing I am doing that you can't do.  Not because I'm a goodie two-shoes or I'm on a high horse.  No, really...I'm not saying that. 

I'm lazy.  And if you've seen my lack of domestic goddess skills, I would be shocked if you didn't agree.

Seriously...if I can take the time to do these things, then ANYONE can do these things!  They won't kill you.  They won't ruin relationships or make your neighbors hate you.  In fact, I've found that it's the perfect opportunity to explain what I'm doing and why I care when someone says "why do you have black barrels behind your house?"

Well, my friend, that's a rain barrel...wanna know what it does?