I’m not a big fan of dusting, though our home is always tidy. Dusting to me seems nearly pointless since dust tends to settle back in the next day. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with people that DO enjoy it, I just deem it unnecessary until the dust settles on something important. 😀 It’s a constant circular challenge. Years ago, I had a friend with young kids tell me she felt her days as a stay-at-home mom were very circular. They revolved around mealtimes, snacks and play times. She made a meal, cleaned, played, and cleaned again. These tasks were repeated throughout the day. Though she was grateful for an opportunity to be home with her children, she longed for the variation and challenge that existed in her corporate job, and for the praise she used to receive.

There is no question that our days are often circular and routine. And it doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in. We wake, move through our morning routine and go to school or work – whether that’s in or out of the home. We eat, clean, and hopefully have time for self-care or to relax before going to sleep and starting all over again. And then there’s the circle of life. We begin being cared for by parents, then care for others as parents of children, pets, or nieces and nephews, before finally caring for our parents. So it’s important to find joy and inspiration outside of our normal routines, and create an ever-expanding circle of family and friends to support us along the way.

This summer we went on vacation to Cancun. It was exciting to be out of the country for the first time since pre-covid. But…there was a tropical cyclone that settled in just as we arrived, and stayed for all six days of our trip. It rained nearly all day and night with heavy winds much of the time – barely anyone ventured onto the beach. They opted to stay at the pool to get a few hours outside in between the storms. Let me say that any vacation – even a weekend away close to home – is a privilege, though the weather in our long-anticipated tropical paradise was a bummer. Trapped in a literal circle of storms, I decided to listen to a podcast with Gurudev – a yogi, scientist and meditation guru from the Art Of Living about celebrating life. He was talking about how we often bet bored these days, and how it’s important to stay curious, and celebrate all the small things throughout routine days. Like mini celebrations. I shared this with my family, and we decided to celebrate our ample opportunity to relax, read books, eat great food, play indoor games and watch the resort’s nightly shows. I’ll leave you with the words of Gurudev:

“When you make life a celebration, you’ll always see a totally blue sky above the clouds, and the stars will shine brightly at night.” 

XOXO, Heather