Unexpected beauty, unplugging, getting by.

Inspired by this post from Old Blue Socks, I am challenging myself this week to make daily note of unexpected beauty. I love this topic. One of the things I have noticed about myself since I became a homeowner and could design my living space is how much I really *need* visual beauty around me. It relaxes me. Colors, textures, scents, layout of items, lighting – they all contribute to a feeling of peace in my home. I posted this before, and wrote about how much I love these feature in the Picasa photo editing program, but I feel like a week of unexpected beauty should have a picture attached to it 🙂 And, this really was unexpected! I remember walking outside that Saturday in early March just appreciating the warmth of the sun (it’s been a colder than usual fall, winter and spring so far here). Here and there, little bits of color were showing in the lowering plants. They were very spread out at that point – it’s not like my yard looked like a mound of flowers at all! But put together with this program and I realized what a variety I do have displayed throughout the yard.
Another thing I will do this week is not log into my work laptop when I am home. I need to not be so plugged in all the time! Do you know that just 4 years ago I did not have a laptop? And yet I communicated and chatted with friends online 🙂 Unless I really *need* to work from home or read work emails though, there is no need to plug that machine in. I don’t NEED to have it in front of me while I watch TV. I don’t NEED that screen up while I read actual paper items. It’s silly and just a habit/addiction now. DS2’s school is doing a Turn of the TV week. He’s with his dad so I wont be following it with him. Plus, he just did two weeks without any electronics at all!! However, it made me think about how the computer is much more of a distraction to me personally than the TV. I complain about not having enough time to read books, but that is not really true. I am choosing to do all my reading on a monitor! So I shall try to achieve some balance and only use the PC this week while at home. Since it will not be as conveniently located to everything else, that should bring me some balance again.

A musing on the overall, everyday business that often keeps me from my online friends and communities when I really DO want to participate (or even to write in here). I was talking to another baseball family – they have 3 kids from ages 10-17. Mom stays at home, dad is a radio exec with some flexibility to his day. Before the oldest started driving, I almost never saw the two parents together! Just too many activities and they had to split cars and tag team transporting the kids. Now, I can’t compare really. I have just one and only half the time at that, right? But I work full time and I make sure to attend all the events regardless of whether they are on my week or dad (his dad does not always do that). Yes, I have a fairly flexible work schedule which is so much better than prior years, but I still make sure I give them 40 hours a week one way or the other (ooh, that laptop at home thing don’t you know!). Plus, I volunteer for events as I can to stay connected to the community. Anyway, I don’t list all this to have anyone feel sorry for either the other family or me really. I was talking to the dad during one game and we both somehow waxed on about how these are just the BEST days. Crazy intense yes. Often no time to ourselves of course. He knows many days when he and his wife basically saw each other only in the morning and then at night as they fell into bed exhausted. But then they had a rare night when all 3 kids were out and it was just the 2 of them at home. He said it was like getting a glimpse of what their life would be like in 8 years when the youngest is off to college. He said it was very nice, and something they look forward to – gives them hope during the worst of the crazy days – but since there IS an end to it, they remember to enjoy it. Sums up my feelings exactly! Sometimes I feel guilty for not keeping in touch with friends more regularly. Or maybe even for not doing some things that I love to do. But, I know what I am doing instead is pretty awesome. And it will end. And it will be good and OK, but so are these zany days.