A few weeks ago I read a cover-story in our local Catholic newspaper that got under my skin. The story was about a local family with "gifted" children and how the family is involved in a number of demanding activities. The whole story really rubbed me the wrong way, but most especially when I read how the family booked a hotel room downtown during their daughters' rehearsal week so the family could continue their nightly family dinners together.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for family meals. The thing I just don't understand is the rat-race that surrounds giving your children opportunities to try every activity available.
To be honest, I myself am not a go-getter type. My best friend gave me a t-shirt when I was sixteen with the word SLACKER across the front. While some might typify me as laid-back, a more accurate description would be lazy. As a kid I had to be coerced into a game of monopoly or Red Light, Green Light because it took away from my precious time devoted to sitting around doing nothing.
That sounds so strange when we live in an age where people are constantly engaged - talking and texting on cellphones, surfing the web, playing video games, watching tv or listening to music.
But me, I'd rather be unplugged. When the older two girls leave on the school bus in the morning I absolutely relish the sound of a quiet house. I don't turn on music. Mallory's babbling noises provide the soundtrack for my day. Her sounds also alert me when she's gotten her hands on something I'd rather she didn't, like her sister's new ukelele.
Our girls have grown up with a lion's share of downtime. Over Christmas break we could have planned crafts and activites and outings. But we didn't. Go ahead, call me lazy.
Jo and Cokes enjoyed their time off from school. They played dress up and drew pictures and built forts in the living room. Jo started reading her first chapter book series. There were a few mornings of snuggling in Auntie Leah's bed watching episodes of Rocky & Bullwinkle. And a family movie night where Matt set up the projector so we could all watch The Muppets.
Yet, here we are. A brand new 2013 calendar hangs on the wall in the pantry. Whenever I glance at it my brain starts humming and thoughts about planning swirl in my head. Those days look so empty, so barren. We should set a date for dinner with friends and arrange a sitter for a date night for Matt and I. Perhaps I should sign up Coryn for a dance class and Jo for music lessons....
Even for a self-professed slacker, it's easy to get caught up in filling in those days on a calendar.
So when I opened this week's issue of the Catholic newspaper, I was surprised to find an article that spoke to me.
Written by Carolyn Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, she talks about the sticky business of seeking and maintaining balance in one's life:
Balance is first and foremost a mindset. It is a mindset of gratitude that wishes to return blessings in some small way, a mindset that seeks to love well and not look upon others as obstacles or rivals. It is a mindset that calls upon grace in everything we do and every encounter we have.
Ultimately, it is a mindset that recognizes God in our midst and the accompanying sacredness in all that we do when we acknowledge his presence.
From this mindset flows our actions...
Balance is not a time issue, it is a heart issue. It is not just a marking of spaces on the calendar but cultivating our mindfulness for each other, for our family, for ourselves and for God.
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