No Regrets

 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Like most parents, my weekends are a whirlwind of attending my children’s sporting events, running errands, doing housework and yard work, and taking time to relax and have fun.  Sometimes, I am amazed at how much we do in a span of a mere 48 hours, and other times, I am disappointed at how much we did not do in that same time span.  Yesterday, my adolescent daughter forever changed the way I view weekends.

Our Saturday was heavy on fun activities, such as my youngest daughter’s final regular season volleyball match, my oldest daughter’s first singles tennis match, and two fall festivals.  I definitely was not complaining, as I looked forward to all of these events, but I was left wondering how we would be able to finish all of the chores and tasks that still needed to be done.  Surprisingly, we managed to get the house cleaned, laundry finished, and homework completed in between the other scheduled activities, and I was feeling quite pleased and relieved . . . for a moment.

As we drove to the tennis match, I made the offhand comment, “Ugh-I wish I had done the yard work today.”  My oldest daughter gave a little chuckle and responded, “Mom, look at everything we got done today, and now, you have regrets?!  Come on, Mom!”  As I glanced over at her and saw the bemused look on her face, I realized two things straight away.

One, I really need to give myself credit where credit is due and accept and embrace that I am enough and what I do is generally enough.  Do I drop the ball from time to time?  Absolutely!  Do I usually get things done and do them to the best of my ability?  Yes to both!  So, why is it that I constantly feel driven to do more and be more?  I could write volumes about that topic, and I know that I am not alone in this never-ending quest.  For today, though, I will focus on the lesson learned, and that is that it is okay to complete a task, take pride in it, and simply enjoy the moment before I move on to the next task. It reminded me of the saying that we are human beings, not human doings.  At times, being takes quite a bit of doing on my part.

Two, I need to be much more aware of the messages that I am sending to my two extraordinary girls, as I do not want them to believe that a constant state of busyness equates to a meaningful and happy life.  One of my greatest joys is watching my daughters simply laugh and play, and I want them to always do things that bring them joy and comfort.  They balance school and home responsibilities masterfully without getting consumed by them, and I definitely could learn a thing or two about being still and present from these two beautiful little souls.

So, today, with yesterday’s realizations fresh in my mind, I find myself still in my pajamas as the noon hour fast approaches and enjoying some solitude while my daughters are off on an awesome day trip with their dad.  As I sip some hot green tea and drink in the peace and quiet, I find myself not so much concerned about what else I can cross off of my “Things to Do” list as much as I am focused on what I can do to simply enjoy this Sunday.  I definitely don’t regret that at all.

That’s another story . . .

 

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Categories: That's Another Story

Tags: enough, human beings not human doings, living without regrets, no regrets, that's another story