Simple Lesson learned…My “aha” moment…

{print by Honeyboo}

I am a mentor. Did I ever tell you that? Every week I go to my son’s school and meet my little girl. I was told she needed some extra help with math.

I started mentoring this little girl in February and in all this time we have not dipped into math at all. My mentee (is that even a word?) never seems to remember to bring her math book with her and so every week we just sit and talk while she eats lunch. We spend about 30 minutes just talking about what she has done that week at school, how things are at home, what I've been up to, my family and other bits of this and that.

So today as I was busy working on my new website, & finishing up an order I was doing some mental fussing about not wanting to go meet my mentee today. I just had so much I wanted to get done. I even thought about just not showing up thinking I really wouldn’t be missed. “We never practice math anyway”, I thought.

However, I showed up and learned a valuable lesson!

My little girl had a big smile waiting for me when I appeared. She didn’t have her math book as usual yet this time I didn’t care. She grabbed her lunch, came outside to meet me and explained how she looks for me every week. We found our usual bench and began our weekly catching up session. She told me about a new book she had and so we took turns reading to each other.

My “aha moment”…it wasn’t about the math!! Duh!

Here I was feeling badly every week because I felt like I wasn’t doing my job. I was suppose to be helping her with math, wasn’t I? Yet, I was helping her. For those 30 minutes I was connecting with her. I was listening thoughtfully, sharing and just being with her.

It made me think about life in general and this journey I’ve taken of living more simply, and embracing the “real” simple moments in life. I write about living Simply, living Lovely. I strive to create handmade products that embody that sentiment.  I really do make a conscious effort to bring simplicity into my life as much as possible. But, I am human.

It took this nine year old, sweet little girl to remind me of what is really important. It isn’t always about the “doing” but about the “just SIMPLY being” and connecting. So I think for the remainder of the day, I will put the orders away, shut down the computer and just connect to what really matters. The rest can wait til tomorrow.

Had any “aha” moments lately? How do you reconnect to what is truly important? How do you embrace simplicity in your life?

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you will take time to be kind to yourself.

As always, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or feel free to email me at tania@shopindobayinc.com.

~live SIMPLY, live LOVELY~

 

Simply Thought{FULL}…

Sending out the positive today with much love!

~live SIMPLY, live LOVELY~

{image from a thousand words tumblr}

To Jackson, with love…Happy Birthday to the Best Dog in the World!

Today is our lab’s 15th birthday! As I watch him sleeping next to me as he so often does while I’m working, I find myself becoming sentimental, if not a little (ok, a lot) teary eyed.

Quite often as human beings we think of ourselves as the more intelligent group. Yet, I have learned so much from our four-legged friend.

I’ve learned about unwavering LOYALTY:

No matter if we are having a bad day or how upset we may become when he gets into mischief, he takes it all in stride. He still looks up at you with those big brown eyes as you’re fussing and huffing and let’s you know he still loves you no matter how grouchy you are at that moment.

I’ve learned what it means to be STOIC:

I looked up the word Stoic because I wasn’t sure if this was exactly the word I wanted to use to describe Jackson:

sto·ic/ˈstō-ik/

Noun: A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.

Stoic is exactly the right word!

As I mentioned, Jackson is 15 today. With wisdom, and many experiences under his collar, unfortunately, there also comes the aches and pains with getting old. This past year, our friend has been presented with some challenges yet he NEVER complains, winces or lets on how uncomfortable he might actually be.

Jackson can no longer go on walks with us, not even short ones. But watch out when he’s sleeping! His body gets going as if he is not walking but chasing after those squirrels and maybe the occasional duck in the lake.

He has difficulty going down steps and struggles to then get up those same steps. Getting up and down is no easy task for Jackson yet he does it with as much grace and dignity as he can muster.

Some days are better than others. There are those days where he just seems so very tired. Those are the tough days that make us anxious that he may not be with us for much longer but those are also the days that make us grateful for the time we’ve had together.

I’ve learned true DETERMINATION AND WILL:

Old age may have done a number on his ability to move quickly and with ease, but put a bowl of food out or toss around a tennis ball and…well, it’s a MIRACLE!! You’ve never seen a lab move so fast! You would think he’d been pretending all this time that he is as old as he is.

Most importantly, I’ve learned about HAPPINESS & LOVE:

To see our “old man” is to be in the presence of absolute happiness and unconditional love. Through all the challenges of getting old, one thing has not changed. His heart continues to beat strongly & is full of love for his family and just about anyone he comes in contact with. If we ever question how he is feeling, his wagging tail lets us know that through the good and bad he is a happy, happy dog!

Happy Birthday my friend!

Simply Thought{FULL}…Finding Balance.

{Beautiful photo by Hannah Mayo Photography on etsy}

So as my craft business has started to grow a bit and I am spending even more time working on getting orders filled, I’ve started to feel like other parts of my life are getting a wee bit neglected. I won’t even begin to tell you about the pile of laundry that keeps threatening to fold itself {oh how I wish you would}. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining as I’ve worked very hard in growing my business and I’m happy to see some small successes. Yet, I sometimes wonder how I will be able to handle it all.

Lately my thoughts have been about my life, my work and the idea of BALANCE. If my biz grows even more, which of course I want, will I be able to handle it? My priority is my son and my partner. Will I still be able to be there for them the way I want to be? Aside from anyone else, will I be able to take care of myself the way I know I should? So many questions lately.

Ask almost any woman I know what the most difficult part of their day is and the typical answer is finding enough time to get “it” all done. That “it” is different for all of us but the eternal quest for BALANCE seems almost universal. Between taking care of home, family, your work in whatever form that takes, and many more responsibilities life can get a bit hectic.

Through my own experience I’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t have it all or do it all, at least not all at the same time. Now some folks might disagree with me. But for the average working woman with a child/ren some things just have to give from time to time or else that thing that gives just might be your sanity.

Which brings me back to the point of trying to find BALANCE. For a long time balance to me was something to attain. It was a state of being that I strived for because it meant that finally I would somehow magically be able to do it all and do it all effortlessly. I realized in my search for balance I was just adding one more thing to my already too long to-do list and setting myself up for failure.

Balance now represents something different to me. Balance doesn’t mean trying to do it all but rather knowing when to take away a little here and there when you have too much going on in another area of your life. For me today, that meant that the pile of laundry did not get folded. And you know what, the world didn’t end just because it didn’t get done. I’ve also come to realize that balance doesn’t always look nice and neat. It is inevitable that at certain times in your life some areas, such as work, might carry a heavier weight. But eventually you will be able to shift some of that weight and attention back to other areas in your life. This process of shifting and “balancing” will probably continue as you move through your life because that is life and that is just fine.

P.S. I will soon share with you a new shop that will be carrying indobay products. Hint: indobay is heading to the windy city!

So I was curious how you all go about “balancing” your life? Any thoughts on what “balance” means to you? I’d love to hear some of your ideas and feedback in the comments. Thanks! :)

Simply thought{FULL} Thursday…

{source: it’s mary ruffle}

Simply Thought{full}…

                                               
                                                                     {image via Laurel Denise}

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Simply Thought{full} on a Thursday. It’s time for a new sentiment that is simple in it’s presentation but so full of thought, questions and possibly answers.

I am a strong believer that the answers we seek are always revealed to us if we only take the time to get quiet and listen.

What answers might life be whispering to you today?

*live SIMPLY, live LOVELY*