Find the extraordinary in the ordinary
I was thinking of small moments the other day. How easy it is to get caught up in the day to day grind, I sometimes forget to stop and breathe. I find it so easy this time of year to get distracted and overwhelmed.
This November was particularly crazy with our move out of the Angus Street studio. I have been consumed with a variety of tasks: Reorganizing my studio on Wellings Road to accommodate classes. Deciding what to workshops to run. Scheduling meetings. Teaching classes like Acrylic World. Working at Framemasters. Creating new work for Traditions Handcraft Gallery. Meeting the Christmas commission deadlines and getting them out the door. This leaves very little time for the people that actually mean the most to me. My family and friends.
Feeling overwhelmed means I forget to appreciate the ordinary moments when one of my girls hugs me or takes a moment to tell me about their day or maybe I am caught up in a task when they feel like chatting.
In early November, my daughter came to ask me to teach her how to use a DSLR camera.
I said to her. “When we are done moving, I will show you how to do that. For sure!”
She is lovely and patient.
She said “OK”
She asked again and I was sorting my class supplies. I said “I will just finish this, then we will do it.”
That task turned into a bigger job than I anticipated. Again, she waited patiently for me. Later that night I remembered. I felt the ol’ mom guilt set in (I hate Mom guilt, btw).
I apologized. I made time.
This incident brought home the reality of how easy it is to take the most important people for granted in our busy times. These are times when maybe they need us the most.
In a couple years she won’t want to spend as much time with me. The little things we share everyday will change. She won’t hold my hand in public. She may not want to tell me about the details of her day. She may decide not to hug me every night before bed. All of the tiny, ordinary and extraordinary moments that are part of having an amazing daughter whose company, I enjoy.
I don’t do new years resolutions, however, I am going to do a resolution today. I call this my ‘finding the extraordinary in the ordinary’ resolution. I will stop, appreciate and breathe in the joy I get from my ordinary.
