Making Time for the Extras.
An April snowstorm has drove the robins to our woods for refuge. I have enjoyed the chance to brush off my photography and birding skills.
“One of the side effects of doing too much is developing monotones minds. We spend so much time in our work related activities that our awarenesses and our perspectives become narrower and narrower. We reach a point where we can’t talk about anything but our work and if truth be told we don’t want to talk about anything but our work.”
— Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much
I have been diving into extracurriculars lately. Spring is often my busiest season. Every year I find myself typically eager and full of energy - flowers being the only thing on my mind! This year I’m intentionally giving time to a few other areas of interest. Devoting all time to my business is doing my life justice, nor does it even guarantee it will be more successful. What it does mean is that other areas of me will have less chance to shine.
“We have taken a rainbow and compressed it into a solid, uninteresting beam of light.”
Wether in motherhood, work, entrepreneurship, caregiving, or any other area of life, it is important to place value on the so called “frivolous” parts of your life too. There can be a shame that creeps in when we devote time away from the all consuming parts of our life.
Birding and bookclubs have been some of the things I have been making sure I add into my time this spring! I have always loved watching the birds but since starting the flower farm and moving to this little old farmhouse, anytime spent outside felt like it had to be devoted to tending the flowers or little projects on the yard. Birding is a way for me to use some of my time outside doing something just because I like doing it! Birding for me is almost meditative. It forces me to sit, be still, and pay attention to little movements or things going on around me. I also love being able to keep track and learn a little more about birds through the ebird and inaturalist. I can channel the animal scientist in me! It has also given me a little less annoyance with this heavy spring snow storm because of all of the unusual bird behavior making for some great bird spottings.
Bookclubs have also been something I’ve recommitted to all throughout the winter and plan to continue through my “busy season.” I made it a goal of mine to be involved in more groups just for fun instead of ones that involve tasks or roles I need to commit to and bookclubs have been perfect for that. I’m in a structured book club at Big Pine Books which I love because it introduces me to a lot of books and people I wouldn’t otherwise know. I also am enjoying the Pelican Rapids Library’s BYOB BookClub which is a little less structured in which we share whatever we are reading and what we thing of it. Finding little in person communities and casual acquaintances is sooo good for the soul and I’ve been so grateful for it. Last fall my college friends and I have also started a monthly zoom BYOB BookClub. We treat it as a full on structured meeting with minutes and agendas and everything only because maintaining long distance friendships in this day and age is serious business! The weddings where we get to meet up are getting fewer and far between so our “Book Club” scheduled in our Google Calendar is our way to priorities each other. About .3% of our time is devoted to what we’re reading and the rest is devoted to catching up with eachother and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I would love to hear if you’re finding yourself in the same “monotoned” boat from time to time. Work, caretake, sleep, repeat. And if there are any extras you feel you miss or are trying to make sure you have a little extra time for? Sometimes “survival mode” is necessary and you do just have to bare down spend all our time and energy on one thing, but sometimes I think we slip into a monotoned focus when it isn’t truly required. It’s more a force of habit. Taking time to replenish some of the other aspects of our life is important and I think can carry us through the survival times too.