Getting Back to Simple

The other day I was at the Christian book store looking for a gift.  I walked past the clearance books and I saw one titled, “Hands Free Mama.”  I was drawn to it, so I picked it up, didn’t even read the back, and decided I wanted to read it.  I had an idea of what it was going to be about and for some reason it called to me.  Back at home, I sat down for one of Jeremiah’s nursing times and started reading it.  The book is meant to be read slow.  You read a little bit each week and reflect on what it says, journal about it, and work to change negative habits.  This really appeals to me.  I thought I’d reflect and journal on here about what I’m learning and changing about myself in hopes of becoming a better version of me.

The author, Rachel Macy Stafford, starts out by talking about how we spend too much time being busy.  Too much time on our gadgets.  Too much time disconnected from our present lives.  I have to agree.  Life is just zooming by.  My firstborn is about to be 13 and I have to sit and wonder where the time has gone.  She was just my little Babina Baby and now she is entering her teenage years.  I look around and I see us all on our phones, our iPads, our whatever and I know that we are missing out on life.

This first section of the book got me thinking about my childhood.  I remember my mom setting up sheet tents over the clothes line out in the backyard of our house when I was five.  I would play with my Care Bears under it in the summer sunshine.  Or how she’d take me to the library and instilled in me a love of reading.  I remember my dad taking me to the park all the time.  We’d make up silly songs together and share a grape Mr. Misty from Dairy Queen.  I remember having tea parties with my Grandma Shirley.  She’d get out her fancy cups and we’d have tea and goodies by candlelight.  I remember playing cards with my Grandma Luedke and how she’d serve my cousins and me Dr. Pepper in shot glasses.  I remember my Grandpa Luedke taking my cousins and me driving out on the back roads of Kansas.  He’d let us sit on his lap and drive and we always thought we were cooler than cool.

So many good memories.  These times spent with my loved ones are precious to me.  And I realized something while I was thinking about all these memories; none of them cost hardly anything, if anything at all.  I loved these times because these people were giving me one-on-one time.  They weren’t distracted by gadgets.  We were doing simple things together, nothing extravagant.  But, I can draw up these simple times in my mind better than even my high school graduation.

We have gotten away from simple.  We have gotten away from just being.  We have gotten away from connection.  I don’t want to lose that.  The book challenges you to find a way to give up gadget time, busy time, stressed-out time a little each day.  Obviously, we have to do our chores, go to work, and take care of responsibilities, but we also busy ourselves with unnecessary activities.  She challenges us to put down the phone, step away from the T.V., unplug the computers, readers, and iPads.  Then we need to think about how this impacts our life.  Here are my thoughts.

In this first week, I freed myself from my phone and computer for long stretches of the day.  I, instead, danced with my kids, read books with them, read books for myself, sat on the porch swing and just enjoyed listening to the birds while holding my son, scrapbooked with my kids (and I didn’t even care about mistakes for once), and played card games with them.

What emotions do you experience when you step away from your devices to spend time with loved ones?

IT WAS AWESOME!  I enjoyed myself and my family tremendously.  It was very freeing and I feel like the days have been full of more important activities even if they aren’t necessarily “productive.”

Do you notice anything special about your loved ones that you failed to notice before?

Not really.  I have always paid close attention to people.  However, I did notice lots of laughing and smiling, which I love seeing.  It has been especially funny teaching my oldest how to dance.

Are you beginning to notice more opportunities to connect to what matters to you?

Yes.  I’m not worried about the chores and instead spend an hour laying on the bed talking to my son while he coos at me.  And amazingly, the laundry and dishes still get done, but I’m not stressing about it anymore.  The other night, I just sat on the couch and held Sydney in my arms and we made funny faces at each other for like 15 minutes.  Normally, I would pick up the house or do dishes, but I just felt the need to hold her.  So I did.  It was good for my heart.

This has been a good challenge for my type A personality.  I feel more relaxed and free.  Being in the moment helps the days not fly by in a blur to where I lay down my head at night and have no idea what I did.  These have been simple things, but if my childhood is a good indicator, simple is the most memorable.

What are some of your favorite, simple childhood memories?

Visit My Store

, ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

X