Month: August 2015

The Big Green Monster Machine

/ morgancreynolds / 2 Comments

 

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What a whirlwind!  We’ve been on a 3 week going and coming and going again.  Reconnecting with long time friends, seeing great sights, chilling, revisiting old haunts and just living it up.  The five of us going in different directions, coming together and hitting the ground running.  To me, it feels like summer has come and gone, even though our homeschool doesn’t really start for another couple weeks.

We’ve experienced great firsts and made many memories.  After visiting my brother and his family in Michigan, and my guys hanging in Florida for a week at a conference, we all met back home just in time to pack my oldest off for his Sophomore year at university.  Not much of a breather and not a lot of time to get too emotional!

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I’m so grateful for a positive experience for him.  It is true.  A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.  And, a mom is truly happiest when her’s are thriving and doing well.  My goodness!  I couldn’t have dreamed or hoped for better for this child!  Anyway, life doesn’t have to be free of challenge and struggle to be joyous.

We did experience a first.  Not my favorite of firsts, by any means.  We had to say goodbye to my oldest and leave him behind as the rest of us flew off to Cali.  It was a work trip with a hefty dose of vacation fun thrown in.  Not our usual type of vacationing, but this hasn’t been a usual sort of summer, either.  We’ve NEVER not vacationed together!  We do family vacations.  I’m not sure a mom is ever really ready to have an MIA on vacation (unless, of course, you think vacation is only a vacation without the kiddos!).  This momma doesn’t, and this wasn’t my original plan.  But, I have to say, I did okay….but please, don’t make me do it again any time soon!  This child had to move in early due to some new responsibilities on campus and it just couldn’t be helped this time around.  Anyway, we all missed him, and were glad to see him and our much loved fur baby when we returned.

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I did learn something along the way!  What’s better than having fun and learning something along the way?  Sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind and ride the big, green monster machine!

Visiting my brother isn’t something I’ve been able to do in quite some time.  Visiting his home and family earlier this month was great fun!  He and his beautiful wife live in a bucolic setting in Michigan and showed me the very best time!  Now, his approach to fun (he is a guy, after all) is on a different scale than mine.  I’ll get to that in a moment!

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Growing up he and I saved our money to buy a go kart.  It was red and had a bright orange safety flag—my favorite feature as a kid—that flapped in the breeze the faster we went.  We lived in a subdivision, and I know we didn’t go too terribly fast.  It felt great as a kid.  Keep in mind, it has been a few years since I’ve plopped myself down in anything that resembles a kart.  My brother has gone big on the karting action.  He and his boys have a big, lime green dune buggy.

On, a small side note, he let my 11 year old daughter drive the big green dune buggy.  The only driving experience she has ever had is driving the motor cars at the Magic Kingdom.  You have to press the gas pedal all the way to the metal to get that sucker to move.  Yeah.  You see where I’m headed with this!  You know, hearing his recounting of zooming off over the hills and the terror it struck in him, brought some crazy sisterly happiness and satisfaction to my heart.  Sheer awesomeness!

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Somehow, I managed to not make it onto the passenger manifest until the very end of our stay.  I wasn’t in any need of speed, whatsoever.  But, when your younger brother says, “Sis, please ride it,”  gosh, golly.  I stepped on and made him swear not to do any daredevil stunts or endanger my life.  We hit the trail and rounded the lake.  Bugs flying and sun setting.  And, what a thrill!  It felt like being a kid again.  I’m good at being sewn up and walking straight.  I do serious and responsible well.  I manage my life and make calculated risks.  (Is that really risk?)

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And, you know, gosh darn it!  Everybody needs a spin on a big green monster dune buggy at some point in their life!  Let the wind fly, eat the bugs, jump the hills and make the wild turns.  Watch the sun set and realize the amazingness of it all!  Let your hair down and abandon some of that adultish reserve.  Maybe you don’t have that problem.  Good for you!  Me?  I needed the reminder from that big green dune buggy.

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Thanks, baby brother, for helping me to free up a bit!  You’ll never guess!  The next morning before leaving, I asked for another spin on the ‘ol green monster!  That twilight ride was amazing.  I needed another fix before hitting the road in more sensible transportation.

I’m so glad I did it.  Sometimes, baby brothers can know best!  Really.  Just sometimes!  Here’s what I think!  You need to go find a big green monster of some sort.  Not literally….unless you just want to, of course.  Take some time to bring back the wonder and the child-likeness of letting go and letting your hair down.  Occasionally, we need the reminder that life is dull if we don’t open up to adventure.  Try something new.  Get out of your same every day rut.  Go live!

Here’s to great summer memories and adventures.  There is some time left before the days get shorter and the rush hits fast.  Go out and make the most of this one beautiful life!

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Sweet, Simple Life

/ morgancreynolds / Leave a comment

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I am thankful for the small graces in my every day.

Sometimes, it seems as if a whole host of things can go wrong at the same time.  You know, you’ve had it happen to you.   You’re busy running around marking off your to-do list, trying to go out of town and the lawnmower and trimmer break down and the yard police are watching.  The equipment is new, mind you!  Or maybe your child (or as they blame the sibling) has lost their phone.  Thorough searching has gone on without success, but it is imperative for the child to have one, since they are going on a trip without you.  So, the race is on to find a replacement that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. (Because, of course, the child is not due for an upgrade.)

Sometimes, there is just so much to do.  Just do the normal day to day responsibilities, but throw in some hiccups and you feel up to your eyeballs trying to squeeze it all in.  But, I’m thankful.

I’ll be candid with you.  I deal with some anxiety issues.  I’m well aware of what it feels like for me and some of my triggers.  So, today, amid all the running and preparing for the five of us to travel, and make sure our four-legged fur baby is taken care of, I was feeling the effects of anxiety.  I usually call my husband and clue him in on my anxiety.  Instead of trying to ignore it, hoping it will go away, I recognize it at the start and have learned to handle it head on, right at the beginning.  I knew he would pray for me.

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I also had to remind myself that this life is beautiful.  While the responsibilities sometimes feel overwhelming, compared to what others are facing, this is simply life.  One important lesson I learned in counseling is to learn the difference between a crisis and everyday glitches in life.

Broken lawnmowers and lost phones aren’t crises, just life to be managed.  I’m blessed to have a family of my own to care for and nurture.  I remind myself these days are truly short.  While I taxi and run errands, I am caring for my family.  All of this is life.  Beautiful life.

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It takes careful mindfulness to control our thoughts and harness them for power.  I’m learning to not spin into sidewise energy, by not focusing on the glitches and hiccups along the way.  Yikes!  I am not always so good, so I am talking to me today, too.  But, amid the shopping and working through my list of to-do’s, my anxiety disappeared.  (I also think my Honey’s prayers made a difference, too.)  About an hour later, my husband called to check in on me, and I realized my anxiety was gone.  I didn’t let it derail me or steal my joy.

Here are a few ideas for dealing with anxiety:

  1. Stop and look for the source of the anxiety.  See if there is any merit to it. 
  2. Invite someone you trust into your moment.
  3. Pray.
  4. Remind yourself to slow down and enjoy the process.
  5. Be mindful of your thoughts and words.

Life runs at breakneck speeds and sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that all is well.  Remember what is truly a crisis and what is an annoyance or mere, every day stuff.  This is what life is about.  It isn’t all the big, splashy moments.  Most of our days are made up of ordinary life stuff.

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I am learning to appreciate the simpleness of everyday living.   At this point in my life, I am thankful to  just live normal, everyday life.  It is beautiful–complete with bumps and hiccups.  Finding beauty in the simple, and even in the middle of challenging annoyances, is the key to living more fully and peacefully in the everyday.

 

 

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