Saturday, August 1, 2009

time to smell the roses...

It's going to be one of those days.

Hectic. Busy. Out of Control.
I can feel it about ready to burst. I've got in my hands a list of all that needs to be accomplished today.

It's a long list.

And it's not one of those lists of 'want to get done', it's a 'NEEDS to get done' list. Perhaps I could have whittled it down a bit by knocking a few items OFF said list prior to today, but there were things that came up that prevented me from doing so. Important things.

Like go swimming with my daughter, and having lunch with my new mommy friends of my daughters classmates in one of their backyards. Things like reading a few chapters of my book whilst feeding the ever growing koi in our pond, take a bike ride and the dogs for a walk. Things like waking up early to enjoy a cup of coffee on the front porch before the masses awake. Things I don't normally do because I'm running on list hyper speed.

I brought my computer out with me with my coffee this morning to catch up on some other reading. To find out what my blogbuds (a phrase coined by the enchanting Kathryn over at From the Inside...Out) were up to and wrote while I slept. There was a thought provoking post over at DepressionRecession that got me thinking...

Do we really appreciate, or take the time to appreciate the things that life gives us? Where we are? What we are doing? We are all so programmed to run so fast that the ol' adage of 'taking time to smell the roses' just doesn't fit into peoples lives.

Many people that I know are so consumed by getting this done, or that done, or buying this, or saving for that...that it rules their lives. They are consumed by fear. The are ruining the 'now' by projecting their fears into the future.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about planning. I'm a list maker. Ask anyone who knows me...
I plan for my future, I try not to overspend. I try to be smart and think ahead. But I like to DO things. Things that will create memories... for me, and for those around me as well.

I like to slow down a bit. I'm trying to live not pressed by what others expect of me, but what I expect of myself. I'm finding that it's quite two different things. I'm trying to do a little more for me...

Which gets me back around to the busy day that I have ahead.
I've laundry to do. Bags to pack. Details to plan.

My daughter leaves for summer camp tomorrow and Mommy is going to be a mess.
No phone calls from boo. No mail. No hugs. No kisses.
For an entire week...

But right this moment, my coffee tastes good. The sun is rising. The world is quiet. And I'm smelling the roses...literally. I'm keeping my stress at bay. I've got one more day before she leaves. My daughter will be waking at any moment and calling my name. But then the cogs will start to turn and the list must be finished.

But right now. This is ME time.
And it's good.
:-)

26 comments:

  1. Enjoy your ME time. We all get caught up in that rat race called life. How easy it is to forget to stop and smell the roses. Hope your list gets whittled down soon and you can take a break to sit back relax, read, and have some more coffee.

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  2. It's funny reading this post because I just finished writing a one about time and how precious time spent with loved ones is. Great minds, I guess ;) I believe in "me-time" like I believe in chocolate: a day without it is a day that is lost!

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  3. I hope that you have had a fabulous day with your daughter. I'm sure she will have a great time at camp and have lots of great stories to tell you :)

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  4. Have a wonderful time. With your daughter today and then when she is gone. Although if she is still little that could be hard. I realize I don't know her age...

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  5. So much work to do..life is so busy we hardly get time to actually enjoy it...

    Enjoy your ME time and hope your daughter enjoys every moment in summer camp :)

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  6. What a great way to spend the day with her before she leaves for camp. I always stopped on the way home from taking them to mail the first letters. It's hard, but she'll have a blast.
    And you're so right about stopping to enjoy the moment. I am making sure I get to the beach today and read a book!

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  7. So, I enjoyed your posting, but overall, I must say that you and Chrissy are smokin' hot.
    High-five!

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  8. @Rae - I wish I could bottle the ME time and just pull it out whenever I need a small swig of it. But as the day progress's I am trading in my coffee cup for a martini glass. :-)

    @ladytruth - Oooohh! Chocolate ME days! Sounds like heaven!!!

    @EternallyDistracted - I'm sure there will be tons of stories! And thanks, the day has been quite fab so far (AND half my list has been completed! WooHoo!)

    @LPC - She's 10 going on 25. She told me that she needed a pedicure before going to camp. 10. Pedicure. Oh my...I'm going to have my hands full when she actually becomes a teen!

    @kasabiangirl - I always thought things would SLOW down as we got older. How foolish of me! My dad said, "time is your most valuable commodity". I wasn't listening at the time, I was too busy. :-)

    @Maureen - I want to go to the beach!!! (green head of jealousy rising) Last year (the first for overnight camp for her) as I was driving back down the mountain I had to pull over to cry. I think camp in the early years is harder on the parents, later on I'm sure I'll be pleading her to get out of the car! :-)
    (just joking, of course)

    @Carlos - Oh, you make me blush! You just made my day!

    Thanks everyone, as always...I LOVE to hear your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to do so!
    :-)
    Nancy

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  9. Kudos Nancy. Very nice blog. Thanks for reminding all of us to slow down and create or belong to moments that "are not on our to do list".

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  10. Oh, Nancy.
    I opened up your blog to read it at 11:30 this morning, then the doorbell rang and MY list began. It's 4pm now and there's tons left to do.
    BUT.
    As I read your post, my talented fellow blogbud, you literally gave me goosebumps...I felt my breathing slow...and I smiled.
    Yeah....those precious, extraordinary moments we'll always cherish with these human beings we once shared a body with. (I can mentally see my boys gagging)
    You KNOW the week'll wind up whizzing by...and you KNOW she's gonna have a great time. That's why you're letting her go.
    Here's a tissue. Now blow...
    Great post. Thank you so much for the mention...to say I was tickled would be an understatement.

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  11. i had a similiar coffee moment myself friend. enjoy those moments.....

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  12. I'm always 10 steps ahead of everyone else, jiggling my car keys and saying "COME ON ALREADY!" and I occasionally decide to make it a day to stroll instead of race, sip instead of swallow, taste instead of eat. I make it for about an hour, but I do admit, it was an enjoyable hour. I'm just wired too tight to do more than experiment. sad, sad, sad.

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  13. Enjoy, love and celebrate she is maturing, becoming the person you wish her to be.

    Smell the roses, it's time. (Smile)

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  14. I hope you enjoyed your ME time, as times like those are fleeting and rare. Your daughter will have a wonderful time at camp and she will certainly miss you, although not as much as you will miss her.

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  15. "Me time" is a wonderful thing. Sometimes there's nothing better than a good cup of coffee, a porch, and good reading material first thing in the morning.

    If only I could drag my ass out of bed and enjoy it more often... :)

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  16. Lovely sentiments. I enjoyed your update a great deal - thanks for pausing in between sips to share your day.

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  17. Me Time...Hmm? I keep forgetting to put that on my list of must do's. Thanks for the reminder. Now to my bliss...Reading on the balcony overlooking a courtyard where the dogs like to play...Glass of wine on the side table...Time to finish that book I started a couple of months ago...Then a call to mom to catch up.

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  18. I like to take my 'me' time when I'm in the middle of a conversation with someone. If you notice a sudden glassy look come over my eyes, just remove a few bucks from my wallet and go buy something to make yourself feel better.

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  19. hi there! thanks for visiting my site... do take sometime to smell the roses... feel the warmth of the sun... it pays to be wonderful inside and out. have a wonderful day!

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  20. Great post. What is this "me" time you speak of? lol. I'm a list maker and planner to the point of irritation (my poor husband), but only when my kids are involved. My husband and I are taking a vacation in a few weeks to the Caribbean. It will be nice to set the lists and planning aside and just be me for a week.

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  21. No, we never do that! We need to slow down. Your day seems grand and I'm jealous of any time to enjoy coffee (not gulp it between meetings) and to read.

    I want the "want to do list" to prevail over the "need to do list." I have a wrap I have been knitting for MONTHS and it needs to be done. I don't remember when I finished a book last and my toes need serious painting. Sigh. Is me time still good me time if I have to schedule it in my day?

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  22. Are you surviving the absence of your daughter? BTW, I have an award for you in my Sunday post. Wholly optional to participate, of course. Although I DO say you have the best About Me photo ever:).

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  23. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I am an awful blogger this year, I don't have time to blog let alone stop and smell the roses! But we all should.

    I used to work for this woman who bought me these books by a Sarah something or other, where you read a page a day, and then in another book you wrote down five things that had made your day great. It is a bit hokey and some of the stuff was very 1950's housewifey, but the idea of writing things down meant that you had to think about your day and focus on the positive and not overlook anything.

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  24. @Theresa - I hate to 'waste' time. I was brought up that way. So when I do NOTHING, it feels like a vacation...
    I like vacations. So I'm trying to have a mini one every day!

    @Kathryn - Blowing away, as I type. One day down, 5 more to go! Wahhh. (I actually looked in her room this morning out of habit and was shocked for a second when she wasn't there...)
    :-)

    @mouthy irish - Glad we shared a cup together! Even if it was in the blogosphere!

    @Dana - Just like on a swing when you wind it up tight, it winds up in the other direction, but eventually it comes to a rest. I try to focus on that rest part!

    @Bunny Boiler - I know. I know. And I DO enjoy it, she's quite fabulous! It's just she's so BIG...
    :-)

    @Travel & Dive girl - I had some more me time today! (and maybe some more tomorrow and the next and so on....till this weekend when she comes home!) You know, I think I could get used to this, just a little.
    :-)

    @ Mike - Ahh. I read your blog and wish I could keep my ass up longer! See, it's always greener...

    @Matthew - Thanks for sharing my sips with me! Come back for a martini later!

    @Funny Girl - I know! That was my New Year's resolution, to put ME back on my list. I've been managing a little, but it still needs work.

    @Chris - I found a little something but I need your security code on the back of the card please...:-)

    @Iam me - Thanks! Not to quote the Arnold, but "I'll be Back!"

    @ Summer - Oooh! Carribean vacation! I was all set to like you and then you said that. Now I've turned all 'jealous bitch'. :-)
    Have fun. Leave the pen, pencil and paper for lists at home. The only thing on the agenda is fun. :-)

    @Vanessa - Mind over matter is what my want list prevail! Schedule a pedicure and bring your book. Better yet, bring some friends and do lunch afterwards! Trust me. You may thank me now....:-)

    @LPC - WooHoo! I did get your award today! I'm trying desperately to make my list. Photogenic isn't on it...but I thank you for your compliment!

    @Molly - I think my mom had that book. As a child she would tell me stories that involved the "Bluebird of Happiness". Nothing ever got that bird down. I think that's where I get my outlook on life from. Thanks! You just got me started on a new blog topic! :-)

    Thanks again everyone for your comments! You guys all make my day! I feel like Sally Fields...
    :-)

    Nancy

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  25. I needed to read this today! Such a great reminder to be in the present. Hope your week without your boo goes well...and thanks for your lovely comment on my blog!

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  26. this is perfection! me time, indeed. thanks for this, i needed to hear it.

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Do it. Do it NOW!
:-)