Diary of a Recovering Idiot

Chapter 15 - It's the little things

        

As we go from day to day, so often we are faced with non-stop problems that never seem to want to end no matter how may ways we try to tackle them. When that is happening, I know it's well past the time I should have stepped back and taken a breather so things would come to me clearer. So many of us don't listen to our bodies and often miss the screaming signal that is telling us to take a step back and relax. This allows us to look at things from a new perspective and to be able to make out that one tree in the middle of the forest that we have been trying to find for goodness knows how long.

It may seem like such an easy thing, but when I look back I remember myself just running, running, running but often not seeing the end of being so busy. Even worst, I hardly ever had any results to show for the exhaustion. I had to put my foot down and tell myself I needed to take the time to just do nothing or I would end up doing myself a lot of damage. That was when I started to take stock and actually set a time when I would sit back and just chill. I often tried to use the time to clear my mind and just think of nothing, but that was often when my answers would come to me when I was most as ease.

One of the things I try to do often that has become a favorite, that is to go to the beach. So when the kids are with their father, or when they didn't have too much homework, I take the opportunity to go to the beach and sit watching the waves and eventually the sunset. To me, it's an amazing thing to see. The kaleidoscope of colors as the light of the sun combines with the clouds in the sky to reveal such an explosion of color that one is often shocked at the magnitude of beauty that you are having the privilege of witnessing. Such a small thing when it comes to the many things that can be done, but it's often the most simple of things possible that make the hard struggle that we face day by day easier to handle.

At first, the kids were resistant to my sudden, "let's go for a drive" or "let's go to the beach" or "let's do something" attitude. They wanted to just sit and watch TV or to be on the computer. I was having none of that, not going wasn't an option, but soon, much to my surprise, they started coming up with places to go. It had become our time to escape from all the craziness and stress that was trying to consume us and just simply relax. The perfect way to let all of the drama simply float away.

To date, we have visited every major place of interest or of the slightest historical significance, and are always on the hunt for some place new to go. The beach, however, is still our top of the list place to go. Our main aim is often to find a beach that is not too busy and with a view. That is more than prefect.

A personal project we have come up with requires us to visit every beach or cove within driving distance and my children have no problem hiking to make the discovery. Somehow they found a large map and have started placing stars at the location of every beach we have been to so far.  The kids have even asked me if one day we could go out in a boat to visit the beaches we can't get to. It's something we hope to see happen during the summer vacation so we are looking into what we need to do to spend the day beach hunting. Every time we find a new beach it's like we have discovered a new treasure and the look on the children's face makes it all worthwhile.

We have also been going on organized nature tours and these are of equal enjoyment. Cameras in hand, we try to take in as much as possible so we can learn everything we can about the area that we will be going to. Yes, it is hot and exhausting. After all, six miles in the hot sun is not easy or a little bit, but think about how much walking we do when we go shopping. Sometimes we do more than six miles in a day and don't talk if we are in a mall. The six miles can come and go before we know it. To me, it doesn't matter and the kids love it, so step by step we learn and enjoy every minute of it.

Going on rambling drives is also a favorite of the kids. Discovering out of the way and little-known spots are something we take great joy in. Well, the kids have discovered the joy of the outdoors and now want to see every nook and cranny of where we live. So every weekend after homework and chores are done, we pile into the jeep and start our rambles to parts unknown. Sometimes we take the bus and that is an experience in itself. It is by far cheaper paying bus fare than buying gas and when we do this, I get to see a lot more.

This also allows me to take a note of spots that catch our attention and plan for other little outings when we have holidays. Each trip is like a huge adventure filled with sites and sounds and some of the things we discover make sitting in a hot bus worthwhile. One time the kids told me I wouldn't have to drive that they had saved up their money for the whole month and had gotten a driver for the day. I was shocked to tears. It was a proper tour with the driver giving us little bits of information as we went from place to place. It was amazing and thrilled my heart that they came up with something like this.

Every day that goes by makes me look at things differently.I have learnt to embrace each little experience and try to grasp everyopportunity to enjoy as many seconds of down time as I can. Life is often socomplicated and many times we get caught up in the twisted drama that tries toinfiltrate and is determined to hold us so tight that we don't even have thethought to escape. This is when I make sure I remember that the most importantthing in life is to live life. I have become determined to make the most ofevery experience and never letting them go because it's the little things thatcount.