My recent hiatus from blogging has given me some time to think as I’ve refocused my attention on my family, myself, and others. I think it all started about 3 months ago with a badly-sprained ankle.
It was pure clumsiness on my part. I came home that evening from work unable to walk and in desperation as I wondered what I would do with my husband leaving town the next morning for a week-long business trip.
It was incredibly humbling. It was one of the first times I reached out to friends and neighbors and asked for help. As I was crawling across my kitchen floor on my hands and knees just to get to the bathroom, I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.
It started with a request for crutches on our neighborhood freecycle group on Facebook. And by evening’s end, I had crutches, an ankle boot, and meals volunteered from friends and neighbors, some of whom I’d never met before. Other close friends came to my home in the morning to help me dress my kids and drive them to and from daycare and shuttle me to dr’s appointments.
I couldn’t believe that people were so willing to help, especially when I felt like for so long I’ve been immersed in my own little world doing little for others because I just didn’t know how I could find any more time in the day.
So now I’m making the time – for more quality time with my family, to take care of myself, and to do more for others. Rather than rush to my computer at the first opportunity, I’m spending more time with my girls reading Dr Seuss and singing lullabies at bedtime, going on dates with my dear husband, taking meals to sick friends, washing my face and getting to sleep at night.
I apologize that this means less time for PureBebe, but I hope that you understand. I don’t want to look back on these years with guilt knowing I could have been more present.
And so I’ve vowed that this summer, I am going to continue re-focusing my attention and re-balancing my life. And I think what better way to do so than with a summer bucket list. I’ve seen these floating around Pinterest and blogs I follow lately, and I’ve been inspired.
My bucket list is not a to do list, though, but an idea list. I won’t expect to do all of these, but these are among the things I could and would love to do with my family. I will definitely make time for some of them.
In fact, just last week, I took a day off of work and took my girls to our local farm for U-pick strawberries. We had the most wonderful time. We spent the morning picking and eating strawberries and the afternoon feeding baby animals, climbing on playgrounds, and drinking slushies in the sun. We were sad to see the day come to an end, but I hope to take them back again soon. So this tops our bucket list.
- Visit our local farm and pick fruits and vegetables – Check!
- Make homemade ice cream – Check! Stay tuned for my recipe.
- Frequent the farmer’s market.
- Try my hand at canning & preserving.
- Buy a popsicle mold, and make our own popsicles.
- Camp out in the backyard. Roast smores over the campfire.
- Hand-written thank you notes to all those who have helped me with my injury.
- Go for a picnic.
- Play in the rain or run through the sprinklers.
- Host a playdate for my girls and their best friends.
- Host a BBQ for family friends.
- Take a few lessons from my hubby, and learn to use our smoker.
- Visit the Washington DC National Zoo.
- See the space shuttle Discovery at the National Air & Space Museum – we saw it fly right over our house and were in awe!
- Fly a kite at the Washington Monument.
- Ride in the paddle boats at the Tidal Basin.
- Decorate our driveway with sidewalk chalk.
- Catch fireflies late at night – a fond memory I have from my own childhood.
- Plan and do random acts of kindness for others.
- Spend a whole day in our pajamas.
