We’ve been home from vacation for 3 days now. We left the cottage and at the end I said I wanted to bring home with me relaxation, inspiration, and quietude. I may be an idealist, but I am also a realist and I knew it wouldn’t all be sunshine and roses. But I know that on any given day, I wake up and have choices to make. How I want to be, what I want to do and what I will make of the moments given to me.
And so, amidst unpacking and cleaning kitchen cupboards and decluttering and laundry, I have made sure to fill the other moments with beauty, fun, laughter, joy. It isn’t about where we are but how we live.
My kids don’t care if the closets are organized and all their bags are unpacked within moments of arriving home. They want to play, enjoy, dive into this life they know and love so well. They want to play outside, see friends, splash me with the hose, and have tickle fests with daddy after work.
I told my daughter earlier today we’d try to go to the beach tonight when it cooled down. Dinner was over, my son was asleep, daddy was tired. So she and I headed out the door, each of us in flowing skirts and flip flops, holding hands. We strolled the beach while lightning streaked through the sky over the ocean. We walked together until she decided to run as fast as her little 5 year old legs would go, splashing through the surf, taunting the waves.
I watched as she ran away from me, knowing it’s not the last time I’ll watch her do that. Knowing that this is what inspires her. Running free, with no path to follow – nothing but her and the sand beneath her toes and salt in her hair. I was inspired by the quiet, the sounds, the colors of the ocean. I always leave there feeling calmer, more at peace and rejuvenated to give all I have to those who need me. Sometimes it takes something simpler, but tonight it took the quiet to inspire me.
I am adding this to Melissa’s Beautiful Life Friday. Check it out for other links people are sharing about how they are creating a beautiful life this week.
Emily, that beach looks so inviting. We went to a beach today of a different sort and I sat and watched the little ones play. They were just loving life without a care in the world. Kids really know how to live.
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What a beautiful post. I don’t think there is anything quiet as inviting as the beach.
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So beautiful though it breaks my hear tot think of my tiny one running away from me one day too!
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Thank you for this post Emily. We too just returned from a vacation of a wonderful restful week away, and I’ve had trouble transitioning and I must say – that peacefullness we had while on vacation had totally gone out the window! Thank you for reminding me that I choose every day how I’m going to be and that directly impacts those I love. Great post!
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I love the beach and this post – thank you!
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Another beautiful one, Emily. My wee girl is not so wee now – nearly 14 – but like you, I filled every moment of my kids’ young lives with presence, gratitude and awareness. The years fly, and although we can’t hold them back, we can cherish the moments.
You are so privileged living within walking distance of the sea. I used to and it’s left an ocean sized aching in my heart that nothing else ever seems to fill. We used to spend hours there simply enjoying being alive.
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This strikes close to me as I just returned from enrolling my four year old in Pre K. School starts in less than two weeks! Watching her run to her own path . . . it’s so hard on the mama heart.
Good on you for protecting the space on this side of vacation time. SUCH an important transition time for families.
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That is beautiful Emily. Thank you for reminding me! Every once in a while we need that!
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Emily, you always pull at my heartstrings. Each post leaves me reconsidering the way I lived my day and how I could have shared it more with the people I love. Keep it up. It’s working.
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what a lovely post emily!
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Oh, I so needed to hear this. I am sitting next to my suitcase right now and still haven’t unpacked. I am letting it go another day and am going to enjoy these last few hours with my kids instead.
Beautiful pictures!!!
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