I am not sure if it is the transition into Fall, the post Thanksgiving hangover (in Canada Thanksgiving is in October not November like the U.S.), or the fact that dark clouds and rain have been hanging over my neighbourhood this week, but whatever it is I feel myself s-l-o-w-i-n-g down.
After dropping the boys at school I returned home, intending to cross as many items as I could off my ‘to do’ list but it just wasn’t happening. Instead I brewed a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch to see what was going on with Kelly and Michael on their morning show.
And I sat and sat.
Upstairs the laundry waited in three overflowing baskets. In my office was a half finished document that I needed to send to a client. I had run out of business cards so they needed re-ordering. An upcoming presentation needed tweaking, calls needed to be made to the dentist, speech language therapist and ice arena and then there was the ever present need for groceries because, you know, food for your family is kinda important.
However I was unable to move, for a gem had tumbled into my lap.
No, not a precious stone but a precious day.
It was rare indeed!
A day with no clients scheduled, a day with no appointments, course work or urgent errands. A day where I did not feel I ‘had to’ go to the gym or for a run. I almost wasn’t sure what to do with myself. It was so nice sitting there, hot coffee in hand, with no other sounds in the house save the cheery TV chatter and the wind howling through the branches outside the window.
Kelly and Michael signed off and then it was time for those squawky ladies from The View. I enjoy the squawky ladies now and then (particularly Rosie) so I listened with half an ear while my eyes scanned the laptop, reading through Lainey Gossip (my guilty pleasure), Facebook updates and checking in on the state of our bank balance. Hmmm.
Eventually I got restless and decided on one easy task. It would be a ‘hands’ task not a ‘head’ task. Clearly I was not in the mood for any real thinking today. So I decided that it was the perfect time to….
… plant my amaryllis.
(Stick with me people – there is a point to this story!)
While out shopping the other day I had spied the DIY amaryllis box and it was something I always wanted to have in my home during the holiday season. The flower kit came with a shiny metal planter and one of those soil discs, so all I needed to do was add water, pop the bulb in and cover it all with moss and hope that it would bloom in time for the holidays.
Then I felt like I needed some fresh air, so I decided to top up the bird feeders. I wandered around the backyard in the wind and rain and filled each one. I strolled about, reluctant to go back in. (I am not sure whether you can actually call walking about a small backyard strolling, but let’s just say I took my time). I inspected all the garden plants. I watched the clouds scud across the sky.
And that was how my day unfolded.
I puttered.
Once upon a time, before children, I puttered often but now it was foreign to me. A middle aged, often tired woman, striving to balance work and home like so many other women, while sharing my life with a hard working husband and seeing to the needs of two amazing boys who could, at times, make me feel like I was being…
… pecked to death by ducks.
Time to putter? Are you kidding me? Who has time to putter?
Well today I DID.
I had forgotten how lovely puttering could be. Puttering means slowing down, puttering means solitude and quiet and time for reflection.
Time for reflection means time to connect with your soul. Time to connect with your soul means time to consider whether you are truly on the track you want to be on in this life.
An Ode to the Simple Pleasures
A few years ago I saw several paintings of teapots hanging on the wall in a gallery. They had been painted by a local female artist. There was one in particular that caught my eye- a vibrant painting of an orange teapot against a blue background. The tag accompanying it on the gallery wall explained that artist’s daughter had recently died and the only thing that brought the mother (the artist), any measure of comfort was a hot cup of tea. And that was the reason she painted one teapot after the other.
I really liked that orange teapot painting but decided not to buy it. We were in the process of looking for a new house so it didn’t seem like a good time to be choosing art work.
A few days later I decided I wanted it after all, but when I returned to the gallery all the paintings had been sold.
I lost track of that artist and her teapot paintings, but I am reminded of them from time to time for it is further evidence that the little things in life are important.
A cup of tea can be important.
Planting a Christmas flower, feeding the backyard birds and a hot cup of coffee or tea on a dreary day. Time to rest and putter. These are the simple pleasures that get us through life, these are the things that feed us, that help us connect with our authentic selves.
So to all you hard working lovelies out there, amidst your busy, and sometimes very challenging lives, try to create a little space in your day to putter and dream and enjoy a hot cup of tea.
You will be glad you did.
I know I am.
…and as I bid you adieu, note the date on the below quote;
‘Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities’.
-Woman’s Home Companion, December 1935
Some things never change.
Thanks for allowing me space in your in-box!
xo
Elizabeth
*****A final note- For any of you who may be in need of some assistance as you navigate through career, relationship or health challenges, or just could do with some support to elevate your overall game and realize your dreams,
I have an opening in my private coaching practice for 1 – 2 new individual clients.
From now until Halloween (ooh spooky!) I am offering a special reduced rate for my 6 session coaching package.
Contact me at elizjturner@gmail.com or through my website to set up a FREE 30 Minute Strategy Session to see whether coaching with me is the right step for you.
my amaryllis