Living Day to Day

Think about this for a moment. Living each day for what it is and at the end of the day, closing the book and going to sleep satisfied with all that conspired that day. Another part of this day to day living is not living in the future. Not wishing this day away by making plans for all the future days. Living life without a plan. Sounds terrifying, right?! Living life without a plan. Not orchestrating every step, every minute of every day. I'm getting sweaty palms just thinking about it.

As the saying goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

I have always had trouble with this "living in the moment" concept. I love to make plans. I love having things to look forward to, but sometimes I get so wrapped up with what it coming up that I miss what is happening right now. My day to day life is pretty routine, pretty mundane, but then I look again- is it? Is that all that it is, mundane, routine, ordinary?

It definitely could be boring if I let it be that way. I could dread the long drive to work. I could dread the time put in working for someone else. I could gripe and complain about the traffic at night. I could play the pity party reel that says there's never enough time for me. There's never enough time to clean the house, make the meals, do the laundry, let alone spend time with my kids, read my book, soak in the tub or go on a date with my husband. I could do all that. And there are days when that is me. Complaining, focusing on all the wrong things. But I will tell you this- I'm working on it. I'm working on shifting the focus from the mundane and the struggle to the extraordinary and the small victories.

Life is what we make it and what we choose to put our energy toward. So maybe in those moments when I start to run through the same ol- "when will this day be over" or "I can't wait for the weekend to be here" or "when _____ is done, then I will have more time." Wake up, girl! I'm never going to have more time. There isn't going to be a magical day when everything aligns itself and I suddenly feel like life is going exactly like I planned. It ain't happenin', so what I chose today is to stop yearning for tomorrow and live for today.

One way I embrace my daily commute and maybe even enjoy it is by listening to audio books. I use an app called Overdrive that is connected to my library card through the Council Bluffs Library. There are a ton of libraries that it is able to connect with, so y'all should check it out! :) I can borrow eBooks and audio books through the app and download them to my phone so I can listen anytime and not use data. Super slick, definitely a game changer for this commuter! I recently listened to a book called "Present Over Perfect" by Shauna Niequist. It was lovely (repetitive at times but still lovely) and a great reminder about whole-hearted living.

One of the quotes I love from the book says, "Present over perfect. Quality over quantity. Relationship over rushing. People over pressure. Meaning over mania." She talks about how it's easy to be admired by strangers, but what really matters are the connections you have with the people you live with day in and day out. When I'm busy wishing the day or week away, I'm missing the moments to connect with my children and my husband. I'm missing those very boring but uber significant moments like sharing the sink to brush our teeth together, or the car ride to and from school when the kids are at their chattiest, or those end of the day moments when all I want to do is sink into my sheets never to be heard from again but is the only time I get one on one time with Nels. Those are the moments that count. Each little, seemingly unimportant moment that when added together with all the other little, seemingly unimportant moments, creates a lifetime of grand memories! Added all together is life. When my children look back at their childhood, yes they will remember the big moments, the birthdays and the vacations, but they will also remember what it felt like to be home. They will remember the snuggles and the tickle wars and the family dinners gathered around our tiny breakfast nook. "Quality over quantity." And this is just my story, maybe your story is connecting with clients or close friends that you see day in and day out and making the most of each and every encounter. I don't get to see my parents, grandma, sisters, brother, cousins, or in-laws every day, but part of this living in the moment means when I do get to see them, I am there in the present, connecting and building on the relationships we have established.

And all of this is not to say that it has been all roses and rainbows in our house. There have been many a nights when everyone is fighting and it may very well seem like the world is ending, but I've chosen to forgive myself and forgive them and we move on. Onward and upward to live another day in the present. The beautiful, precious present moment. The only place we actually exist. No amount of worry will change the past and no amount of anxiety will change the future. Deep breath. Be. Here. Now.

I invite you to join me here in this present moment. Forget about what's coming up this weekend that you're looking forward to. Can you simply breathe and exist? And then continue that for the day? "Meaning over Mania." Stop the mania.

Wishing everyone a wonderful, present Thanksgiving with your families.

~Stacie