I was driving the kids to school one morning and remembered I needed to buy yoghurt.
I’m playing it out in my mind; how the ratio of two small kids (one of which can’t yet walk) to one fairly short tempered adult in a large grocery store looks … and I knew that if we popped in for yoghurt, it would be impossible for me to spare Clayden’s eyes from the lollipops, the fruit ‘jooooose’ and ice cream he is so very unfairly denied (all the things we eat and drink after his little soul has gone to dream land), and whether or not I’m up for the challenge.
This morning Clay wanted banana chips for breakfast. And doughnuts. Why? Because they were on the kitchen counter. In view. For goodness sake, why would you eat soggy Weetbix when doughnuts are staring you in the face.
And it got me thinking about what is in sight every day, which, if eliminated, would change me for the better? And not only that, but what is currently hidden away that needs to be IN my sight. I read this article recently that said that a ‘child’s bedroom is their classroom’ and so to spare the beautiful, idyllic, for-the-split-second-its-tidy Pinterest version (which I must admit, I do love the sound of) and to get creative – paint, inspire, get messy, and allow imagine to fill that space. And it is the same with us.
If I want to read more, I must buy more books, and place them in spaces where I have the time to read (ha ha ha – time to read – ha ha). If I want to spend less time on my smart phone when I’m home with my kids then I need to HIDE IT AWAY. If I want to grow my own veggie garden and eat organically, then in a moment of inspiration I must buy the plants and put them next to my front door, begging for some planting attention. Let me hide my TV behind a cabinet door (or get rid of it completely), let me unsubscribe from DSTV or Netflix (by the way – there is nothing wrong with DSTV OR Netflix… each to their own) if I need to stop wasting time in front of the TV, and let me dust off the dining room table. Throw the Mr. Delivery pamphlet on your fridge away, and replace it with this seasons Farmers Market schedule and the running/cycling/triathlon events calendar. Put your runners next to your bed when you set your alarm for 5am. Get out your fancy pants cutlery set and hand crafted artisan food platters and invite some friends over for dinner. Concerned about free range? Get chickens.
As someone who has most of her earthly belongings meticulously packed in numerous Tim Horton’s boxes, it is true that we don’t need very much at all. But of what we do have, lets take what inspires us, put in our sight and navigate our lives in the ways we know to be good.
And, after all that, what I really should do is just start making yoghurt again. Anyone have a starter culture for me?
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