Home again

Things that went right today:

1) slept in

2) back to school shopping excitement

3) celebrated my son's 3rd birthday

4) got caught up on mail and emails and phone messages

5) realized I only gained two pounds on the cruise...sweet.

6) hung out with my kiddos that I missed while I was gone.

7) relived the "swaying" of the cruise ship all day...no one told me about this?

On the last day of our trip my daughter announced that she did not want to go home and would rather live her whole life right there on that cruise ship. She suggested we stowaway and find a way to smuggle the rest of the family onto the ship later on... and I will admit I considered it! We had been having such a fabulous time in so many exotic places that it seemed a let down to return to the routine of every day life back home. Not to mention that we had gotten rather spoiled by the unlimited food and maid services. But as we talked we decided that normalcy and mundane routine is essential to our well being. It teaches us self discipline and the value of hard work. It provides a base that the rest of our experiences stem out from. It is comforting in a world of uncertainty to have routines that provide order and stability to our lives. As much as I dislike cleaning house, there is a certain feeling of satisfaction that comes from a job well done and from knowing I was serving my loved ones while I did it. Paying the bills, running the errands, driving kids to practice, making dinner, going to work...day after day after day. It can overwhelm us at times as we feel like hamsters on a wheel doing the same mindless tasks. But these small tasks add up to a life well lived if we do them with a cheerful disposition. Sometimes it is helpful to find ways to make them fun. Tell a child to clean a room and you will usually get grumpy faces and dragging feet. But tell them you are playing a "fire drill" game to see who can clean up the fastest and the response changes dramatically. Turn a car trip to soccer practice into an opportunity to ask your teenager about their day. They will often open up to you more in a car where the environment is more casual. Whatever you can think of to take those ordinary tasks and squeeze more joy from them...do it! But remember that the ordinary provides the contrast to make other things feel special. That cruise ship too would have started to feel mundane eventually had we stayed long enough. It was special because it was a break from the usual. So let's give the ordinary run of the mill the respect it deserves! Today I am grateful that we clicked our ruby red heels together and said "There is no place like home"... because surrounded by my family this ordinary life is pretty wonderful.