It’s Saturday morning and I have the house to myself. I am not usually at home on a Saturday morning in December so it is a real treat. It is quiet. It is peaceful. And it is awesome. I am so grateful for this time. And if you are a mom reading this, I know you get this. Big time!
As I glanced at the dirty dishes pleading to be dealt with from their place in the sink, they so nearly got the better of me. But I knew that doing them would invariably lead to other things: laundry, tidying up and all the rest…
Above all, I knew that doing the dirty dishes first would strip me from relishing in the peace that the quiet house was giving me.
The dirty dishes could wait and as I share this with you, I am so happy for my decision.
Instead I wandered over the window and saw that it was snowing. Mother Nature was laying a pure white blanket on everything I could see. The stillness was palpable. Each unique white snowflake was fluttering and drifting down from the sky, finding its way to its final resting place and contributing to the vast, white, silence that was being created around me.
Out of nowhere, a crow crowed. The silence was put on hold. Part of me thought: how dare it disturb my peace whilst another part of me loved it.
This silence returned. I find silence creates an expansive space within me that I love. It fills me up. It nourishes me from the inside. It makes me feel whole, alive and at one with everything around me. It sparks my creativity and fuels my curiosity like nothing else can.
As I watched the snowflakes fall, I thought of the similarities between them and us. They are all different. There is not another snowflake like the one that just fell. Like our fingerprints, they are each unique. They are magnificent. They are like our children, each pulsating with its own uniqueness and brilliant.
As the snow fell and sprinkled all it landed upon with its white softness, it reminded me of the icing sugar I sprinkled on the Xmas cookies I baked last week.
This moment guided me to an intention: Just like the snow, I want to “wrap and sprinkle” but not just presents with paper and glitter. And not with snow either!
This holiday season, I want to wrap and surround those around me with my presence. And I want to sprinkle everyone, including myself, with kindness.
We can learn so much from nature. When we take the time to immerse ourselves in it and notice it for all it is, for its magnificence and grace, it is a guide like no other.
Taking the time to slow down and stare out the window today allowed me to ponder and reflect on so much. With the dirty dishes on hold, I could feast on nature and set some positive intentions for the holidays.
However, it has been more than this. This time has been my self-care. It was what I needed to do. It has filled me up. It has instilled in me a deep gratitude for my life.
Nature is what connects me to me. It grounds me and centres me to what is important. It leads and guides me to BE. To observe. To notice without judgment. To watch and appreciate the as is. To accept that, whatever it is, it is what it is.
So many lessons.
It has just stopped snowing. The stillness is broken. The silence that was, is fractured. It was all so fleeting. But that’s okay. The next moment is a new moment. But, had I done the dirty dishes first, I would have missed all of this. I would have simply looked out the window and thought, “Oh, there’s been a dusting of snow!”
My message to you this holiday season is to take the time to wrap yourself in stillness. Take the time for YOU. Because when you do, the chores will be more palatable, the kids will seem less whiny and you will have more energy, joy and abundance to give. After all, it is in the giving that you find the receiving.
And don’t forget to sprinkle the world and yourself with kindness. You need it. We all need it.
Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful holiday season, connected to those around you and disconnected from all that drains you. Take the time to unplug. Sever yourself from the WI-FI and follow your heart. Grace your family with your undiluted presence. This is what you need and this is what your children need and want. They want this more than anything. The children in the 2013 IKEA Holiday season advert were bang on the buck!
Partnering You
PS. The other message from me to you is this: seize the moment. I just received a text to say that my son is unexpectedly on his way home! My day alone has turned into 2 hours alone. But that’s okay. However, had I done the dirty dishes first, I would not have stared out the window. I would not have written this post and I would have missed many valuable lessons.
PPS. I’m even happier that I left the dirty dishes because now that my son is home, he can do them!
