About two weeks to go...

This picture is blurry and has nothing to do with this post. But I love it!!
Just know that the original is much better.

Two weeks ago I made a goal to slow down. To do this, I committed to spend a few minutes sitting on my back patio each day. I've been using this time to read my scriptures, pray, take deep breaths and just reflect. Each day when I do this I try to feel my bare feet on the ground and look at the sky and the trees and just be for a few moments. So much of my day is spent doing.... buttoning and unbuttoning, feeding then changing, buckling then unbuckling. It's easy to forget in the midst of this to slow down and enjoy.

So I am trying to remember, and I have learned a few things I would like to share -

1. It's worth the effort. Taking a few minutes each morning to slow down, really does help me remember to slow down for the rest of the day.
2. You do have to think about it all day. Just because you took a few minutes in the morning to slow down doesn't mean you will always remember to slow down.
3. It helps to be consistent. At first I just tried to get out to the patio sometime - morning, night, whatever. I'm realizing that if I don't do this at the same time, every day, it becomes very difficult. I'm trying to build this into my routine and just do it the very first thing that I wake up. It's lovely to watch the day waking up.

So, with two weeks left two focus on this one goal, I'm going to continue to work at it, and especially to spend that few minutes first thing every morning. I slipped out to the patio just before sunrise this morning and sat in awe of my surroundings. There is something so humbling about slowing down and recognizing your place among God's creations. It gives me perspective and helps me to remember that life is definitely not a race.