Does the busyness of life seem to go in cycles for all of you? (Hopefully, it’s not constant!)
We are notorious for having busy seasons of life around major life changers. It’s partially our own doing (or my own doing…Chris really has no part in this!) but there are also those things that are out of our control.
For example, we had major home renovations begin on my due date for our first child! It all worked out well in the end…though the construction workers did get a little nervous when I went on a cleaning spree of our dungeon basement and then on to the garage. They were all well aware of the nesting that takes place right before baby and I was definitely nesting. And while we await for baby #2 to arrive any day now, we are dealing with some major medical issues with a family member.
These are not things we had planned for and the latter is obviously one we did not hope for. But…we are dealing with them. Just as Chris talked about in his last post we really need to be prepared BEFORE a major life event occurs. Even though he was referring to financial preparedness, it applies to SO many areas of our life.
Simplifying our life, homes, and possessions not only makes life simpler for the easy times but also for those unexpected events that will pop up in life. We are not immune from these events. They happen to all of us, no matter how much we try to avoid them.
Though, I’m not completely done with all of my simplifying tasks that I wanted to accomplish prior to baby, I am thankful for what I did already do. The freezer meals that were prepared for those evenings post-baby are coming in handy right now. Why don’t I make double batches of our favorite recipes more often??? It’s such an easy way to have a quick (and good) meal on those nights when you just don’t have time to cook. Or, they are perfect for blessing others with when unexpected things happen in their lives.
Having less stuff to put away and clean. It makes for easier times when these times come. Having fewer obligations makes it easier to get up and go when needed and also is less time consuming because you don’t have to spend time cancelling or rescheduling.
I wish I could take this to heart in all areas of my life. As I am the instigator for some of our busyness during these times (aka: major landscaping…and I’ve finally recovered and am 100% again!), I need to learn when to say, “no, not now” and when to go ahead full force. I’m a full force type girl. It’s hard to say, “not now”. Thankfully, Chris can reign me in at times…though obviously he didn’t with my landscaping dreams! So, I’m learning to roll with the punches and have given up on finishing our yard until after baby’s arrival and these other areas of our life settle down a bit. Do I like having a pile of pea gravel blocking my garage? No, I’d rather be out shoveling and hauling it all day in the 90+ degree heat but I’ve learned (at least in this one instance) that I need to follow through with the “no, not now”. It will get done but right now there are other areas in our life that need to take first priority.
How has simplifying helped you in unexpected times?
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