Slow Down and Breathe!

I started, in the last month, a stay-at-home type job. One to add a few pennies to the pocket so I don't feel guilty about spending a few dollars on 'fun' stuff.  

The job is to record my movements throughout the day when I carry my iPhone with me. Basically, I am tracking all my trips around town during the day. I have to make note of when I left home, how long I am in transit, where I stop and then the next round of starts and stops. Not too time consuming or hard.

Supposedly the 'average' person has 15 transactions during the day (home-in transit-work-in transit-home would be 5 transactions). I am averaging about about 30 transactions during the day. Yesterday, for example, was a 41 transaction day!

But I have learned something...

It doesn't take as long to do things as you actually think!

That drive through McDonalds where you feel like you have been for 10-15 minutes. It's only actually about 3 minutes. And dropping kids off at daycare of school, you think I'm in there forever! Only about 4 minutes, tops.

So the  point of all of this?

Slow the F*** down!

I am the world's worse. I have a long list of things I want to do and feel like I HAVE to do, so much so I feel 'bad' when my list isn't checked off at the end of the day sometimes.

And then I realized it's moments like these which make you slow down and enjoy life...

Breakfast...

I made frozen Eggo waffles for breakfast and added some sliced strawberries, a bit of cream cheese and some powdered sugar one morning. Didn't take long. Wasn't like I was really cooking anything. And it made all the difference in the world to the start of my day.

Then the bird feeder.

I have found the bird feeder is the best way to slow down and take a moment to relax and unwind. Watching the antics of the squirrel and all his feathered friends as they peek and nibble at the seeds. Not wanting to scare them away forces me to be still and quiet.

Standing by the window, coffee cup in hand, it's a delightful way to relax and de-stress from all the 'I ought to be doing..." things.

I started this project (like I need another project) when I decided to clean out the excess yarns and donate them to the day care. It was a project I wanted to give a try to because, well, mainly because all the other knitters were doing on online. However, this is going to a friend.

What I have found is since I know this is going to a certain person, I think about them while I am crocheting away, watching my TV programs from the recliner. And it lends a sense of peace and calm. 

But I think the biggest wake-up call was last night, when I walked outside to go to the car (yet again) to go pick up Texter from school. This guy was lazing in the yard, calmly chewing grass.

Deer in town are not uncommon in the least. In fact, the Helena Police Department has an annual 'culling' we have so many. So they aren't really concerned about people all that much. He had hopped our gate and strolled in for a bit of a munch and rest. 

I think I need to lay in the grass and just pass the time of day more often.