In the seven days since I told myself I was going to shift this project to fewer entries, I have discovered that the process of showing up here each day truly was about something I need to do. I learned it’s not only writing about the things I love about my teenagers but even more it’s about actively looking for those reasons each day. Both parts of this process are an important anchor for my heart and mind. Although it’s been only a week since the previous post, it has felt much longer to me. And those days have been challenging ones for me. As a writer, I want to put the essence of those challenges into words, but as I consider them more attentively, I realize they are perhaps a bit more esoteric than my words can capture.
What I do know is I have missed showing up to this space each day. I have missed taking time throughout each day to examine my life and my relationships. I suppose for me, I have discovered the words attributed to Socrates indeed are true: The unexamined life is not worth living. Certainly, a few words written in a blog series likely will not render my life not worth living. But it is the conscious consideration of my thoughts and motivations, ideas and contemplations that matter and bring meaning to my days.
The unexamined life is not worth living.
~ Socrates
To be honest, I think we can at times miss the beauty of our everyday lives in search of something else, something more. Indeed I have been guilty of this. But as I have moved through this week, I realize my days hold more opportunity and possibility than I realize. In fact, I believe there is room in my days for the everyday things and the extraordinary things. And, really, when I consider these two remarkable young women, I can see they are part of what is extraordinary about my life, so why wouldn’t I want to spend time each day focusing on them and the reasons I love them?
What a fascinating experiment this series has been for me. I look forward to seeing what happens in my mind this week. I am fairly certain my thoughts, my ideas, and my creativity will return in unexpected and powerful ways. For real, the past seven days have been more of a going through the motions of my life with the meaning eluding me as my mind sought the true north anchor of this project. While I have enjoyed watching my girls exude creativity and pursue their artful ideas, I have felt more of a wanderer in my own life as well as in my creative and internal landscape.
Today, I am grateful for the reminder of what matters to me. I am thankful and eager to return to a familiar pace of life that includes moments of reflection and relationship. I confess I had not realized just how important and how valuable this habit of writing about why I love my teenagers had become until I left it behind for these past days. Indeed, I want my days to include many things, ordinary things, extraordinary things, beautiful things. Parenting provides that in more ways than I realized. Well, actually, I think I realized it, but for a brief moment, I wanted to do more important things. What I discovered is some of the more important things actually involve our two teenagers. And, honestly, I had greater creative energy a week ago than I have had in the past several days. I love that my girls are the signposts for the path I am meant to walk each day.