My husband has returned from his mountain man excursion! He has scads of stories to tell so eventually I will begin a Mountain Man Chronicles here for those of you who are interested in the knowledge he has gleaned. (I hope!)
He spent the past hour and a half dictating his trek into a tape recorder. I was able to listen to some of what he said as I worked about the house. Something he mentioned in his narrative struck me as profound and quite applicable to my life as a keeper of the home.
One of the other mountain men had a saying,
“This is what we are doing today.”
If they were skinning a beaver or making sausage or grinding grain, how quickly they got the work done was not of any concern because…
That was what they were doing that day.
How often do I rush through my day from one thing to the next never enjoying any of it? How often is it all about how quickly I can get something accomplished so I can move on to yet another project (and hopefully, quickly accomplish that project as well, and so on and so on it goes)? How often am I looking ahead to the next task before the first task is finished? Much too often, I am afraid.
How much nicer my day would be if I brought it to the simplicity of that statement…
This is what I am doing today.
I have a mound of laundry…this is what I am doing today. Not this plus 50 other things. Just this. If I get some other things done as well, then kudos to me. If I do not, no matter because this is what I am doing today.
Five days a week, or thereabouts, I homeschool. Is it reasonable for me to think I can homeschool AND accomplish 10 other major projects? Ummmm…no. So, homeschooling and maybe one other project (or maybe not)…that is what I am doing today.
Every now and then my husband has a couple of things he really wants me to accomplish during the day. He’ll write them on our dry erase board as a reminder to me. When I get them accomplished I erase them from the board. How good that feels! He never gives me more than 2 or 3 things to do and that is what I do that day.
Today I am taking the children to the gardens (where my header picture was taken) to enjoy the summer splendor. After that we will go shopping for swimwear fabric (more on that later!) And lastly, we will finish the day out with a visit to see Daddy. I will breathe deeply and I will walk slowly because this, and nothing more, is what I am doing today.
So, I ask you…
What are you doing today?
Lilyofthevalley - Tanya says
Well said!! I must remember that. 🙂
Chelsey says
What a great reminder. I get so caught up in trying to get it all done “right now” and then don’t end up accomplishing what I really need to get done in that moment. I had a friend that used to say to me, “What the Lord wills for me to do today, there will be time for, all else can wait”. I need to remember this – thanks for the awesome reminder!
Fruitful Harvest says
Nicely Said!
Most days I take the slow aproach…but today I’m finding a bit of overwhelm!
Today is Noah’s birthday and there is a rush to make a cake (I hate to bake but love to cook.)
My house is a mess…I can’t find the dining table! eeekkk!
Olivia (20 mo) wants me to hold and nurse her 24/7. So the house work is way behind! Most days I don’t mind but today I feel very tired and much to do!
Poor Jackie wanted to help make the cake….most day no problem put today NO! Maybe later when most of the chores are done I will feel better and she can help decorate?!
I have to go into the city today also (1hr drive) for my oldest son’s DR. appt.! He had heart pain yesterday (and we got a ekg and xray done)and now a heart doc want to see him to make sure all is well before he plays one of the 3 sports he is currently on! (he is normaly very healthy)
I may not get home until 5 or so.
Hubby has ashema and has trouble breathing so he is off to the doc today as well!
Dinner is in the crock pot! I love those things. Salad is in the garden yet!
I know tomorrow will be much better!
Blessings,
Georgiann
hsmominmo says
As always, I enjoy getting to peek in to your thoughts – thanks for sharing!
I’m looking forward to the mountain man stories – we may be doing a frontiersman unit this fall. I may be putting down your dh as a resource! Ask him if he’d consider telling his stories in front of the video camera in his mountain man get up.
What am I doing today? Strawberries! And if that’s all I get done, we will at least have yummy strawberries to eat this winter :0)
Erin says
What a wonderful perspective. I think keeping that idea in mind will also help us to say “no” to the pressures of overburdening ourselves with unnecessary commitments and running ourselves ragged. Thank you so much for sharing!
Amy @ Raising Arrows says
hsmominmo,
Strawberries!!! YUMMY!
And yes, dh would be willing to present!;)
Reggie says
Beautiful! And exactly how I approach life I’ve realized. Laundry? Has its own day. Pulling the next season of clothes for six children? Gets its own day. Each child’s birthday? Own day for sure (with a week or so of random moments for planning thrown in). It is so much simpler that way and beats the tar out of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.