While "No-plans-ember" has been a bit more restful than normal months, so far it hasn't been much of a change in our day to day.  We'd already committed to a certain number of things back before this idea, and the conviction to follow it struck us.  From tonight on out, we finally reach the point where we really aren't doing much - a soccer game, one bar tending night, a wedding.. and it's Thanksgiving.

While we might still have things to do - we both have felt a weight off of us.  It just feels good. Something about knowing we have to, and get to, say "no" to basically EVERYTHING is so darn freeing! (It's also so stupid hard - we've turned down a couple amazing invites.)

We have already gotten to address some big house projects (well, one), and have had a few more hours to rest than usual.  Rest.

The contemplation of this month has been enough to make me more committed to a long term life style change.  And if that wasn't enough, this article Beau just sent me certainly helps.  I understand that rest is important.  And I get that families have to set time aside.  But I think it struck me anew that the habits we build early in our relationships, are the ones we'll keep in our marriages, parenting and over all family development.  I'm about living where you are - enjoying the season you're in... but I also think we won't magically become something new. We have to choose today to be who we want to be in ten years when we're stewarding little hearts and eyes, not to mention a big heart of some goofy, brilliant man. ;) We have to learn to steward the "family" we're building for now - and a huge part of that is learning to schedule and protect your time.

I want to own my time - and be able to give it wholeheartedly wherever, whenever called, rather than ending days and weekends feeling like it slipped through my hands or was wrenched by strange commitments I didn't even know I'd made. I want to see my time deepening me as a person and deepening me and John as a couple, and furthermore that my time is allowing John to deepen as an individual too.

This really is the year for making things happen.  I think you've all heard the growing (and growing) frustration in me in regards to watching life happen.  Well, I'm pretty certain that frustration is there to drive us to actually change.  So this past weekend, I did something I've been wanting to do for years.  And Tuesday I had lunch at Melrose Market, where a month or two ago I said, "I should have lunch there someday."  And yesterday, I went into that little shop in the Olympic Hotel.  The one I've walked by countless times and always figured I'd stop in, one day.  I know this is all poorly put, but my point is simple:  do the thing you've been meaning to do, hoping to do, dreaming to do... because while you feel you might combust if you never do it, you'll more likely die.  Slowly, quietly, you'll just sink into it. 

So, while it was good to wait, to pray, to prepare.... don't wait too long... and my bet is, you already have.

Caution always sounds like wisdom.  But sometimes it's the wisdom of the slowly dead and dying.

CARPE DIEM.



We die daily. Happy those who daily come to life as well. ~George MacDonald

I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung. ~Tagore

We cannot waste time. We can only waste ourselves. ~George M. Adams

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ~Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see. ~John Burroughs

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. ~Fr. Alfred D'Souza

It is Friday morning! We have made it.  Weeks have slowed down considerably all the sudden - so have days and hours.  But I'm not necessarily complaining.  Every time I look at my desktop computer's right bottom corner in utter astonishment that only 3 minutes have passed, I remind myself there are only so many minutes left in this year of 25 and it's really preferable that they crawl as slowly as they like.  I don't want to offend them, lest they decide to rush in spite.  It would be wonderful if we could convince those stubborn things to run and crawl as we so choose.  But who has ever tamed a minute?

So excited for this weekend.  Hoping it will be a good mix of rest and fun, starting today with lunch with my sis. :)  But this week has come at quite the cost and I think my bedroom footed the bill - so chiming out for the morning in hopes of reclaiming a lost friend in the next 30 minutes.

Have a lovely Friday!  Live in the minutes!!