Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Making Room for Better Stuff

“Elizabeth Chavez is making room for better stuff”. That was my Facebook status update this morning and I meant it!


These days I am so busy with work and school and all of the little tactical initiatives that have become central to my life. There is so much going on that I feel like I am missing my real, actual life. Its September NEXT week! How did that happen?!? Wasn’t it just January and I was begging it to hurry up and become July so that I could go to Hawaii? And then wasn’t it JUST July and I was thinking “Okay October hurry up so I can go to San Francisco”? And now August is over…. Did I even enjoy August or did I spend it waiting for something else? What did I miss while life was whizzing by me?

Well, lets see…. Bradyn’s feet got skinny! You know how babies have that little, soft, beautiful layer of fat on the tops of their feet? The one that makes it impossible to squeeze their feet into shoes. Well….. my baby no longer has that layer. Sometime between August the 1st and today his beautiful, fat baby feet became these beautiful, slender little boy feet that slide into a pair of boots with no effort. What’s next? When October rolls around, will he be running without the toddler waddle? Will I even remember the toddler waddle when it’s gone?

Once again, it’s time to edit my priorities…..

Those of you who know me well, know that this is a cycle. Every few months I realize that I am focused on work and school and busy with life and decide that I need to find ways to slow down and really enjoy the today. Recently, I read an article on http://www.zenhabits.net/ about living with less. The premise is that getting rid of the clutter allows you to focus your time and energy on the things that are truly important. The quote in the article that really spoke to me is “connect with others and your passions more”. My passion is my family, my goal is to connect with them everyday. Making this a reality is the hard part.

For me, the act of simplifying is not and never will be a one time event. It is a constant exercise in editing. Things change, focus shifts, before I know it I am knee deep in a new adventure. On a regular basis I have to reflect on what is going on and find places to trim and places to add so that I can enjoy each moment to its fullest potential.

This life I live is so wonderful, I don’t want to miss ANYTHING!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Dear three years old....

I really like you and was wondering... Will you hang out for a while? I'm not asking you to do anything weird or unnatural like stay forever....

I'm just saying, "would it be that hard for time to stop for a while?". Can't you stay still and let me enjoy this moment?

I love the little things about you...

The way he says "welcome mommy" in the place of "thank you"...

The "i'm fine now" after the dust has settled and he realizes that everything is in fact okay...

The "you got me?" when he is feeling insecure...

The "you love me?" when he grabs my checks and looks into my eyes...

I know that I will love four and five and ten just as much and for new and exciting reasons but.... I'm just not ready... So..... Can you? Will you? Will you stay? Just until I'm ready...