When are you going to go somewhere or try something new?
What are you going to do with yourself that is incredibly awesome today?
Whose life can you possibly influence in a positive way?
Tag: joy
A New and Different Sun
Fuel….
“make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.
So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.
The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy.
But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”
― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
Travel = Joy
THIS makes me exuberant. I had to share. 🙂 Happy Travels !!!!!
Everything else seems to fade away when you see and experience the sheer wonder of what this world has to offer ……
(just makes me over sad how SO MANY PEOPLE have no clue or don’t respect the vast beauty of what’s right in front of them)
Stay +
😀
What you don’t see
Basically this is true for all pictures of anyone shared for the public to see…..
What you don’t hear is the constant laughter, running, chasing, and playful screaming from the kids.
What you don’t know is that moments before the picture was taken everyone was NOT listening and going their own way.
What you don’t hear is the yelling, pleading, re-directing, separating, time outs, consequences, and compromises being made in order to keep the peace.
What you don’t hear is the “DONT TOUCH EACH OTHER” and LEAVE HIM ALONE” or LEAVE HER ALONE” and my favorite : “IF YOU DO ___________ ONE MORE TIME YOU WILL BE FACING SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES” .
What you don’t see is how connected the younger two are and seem to be able to comfort each other with a simple touch.
What you don’t see or hear is the struggle the oldest has with a plethora of hurdles which he overcomes every day and feels the most proud when he accomplishes something in his school work.
What you don’t feel are the constant headaches from the non stop NOISE that occurs in our house.
What you don’t know about is the stress and uncertainty of the future that we all face every day due to the roller coaster ride of who knows what will happen next from the impending situation with unmentionables.
What you don’t hear is me asking them at least 10x a day “How much do I love you?” ((They always STOP what they’re doing and JUMP and wave their arms and say “THIS MUCH”)) — (I ask them because I need a reminder to myself to calm down and breathe before yelling for some silly reason because some days are harder than others to juggle it all).
What you don’t see are the hugs. The incredible, loveable, squeezable, fleeting, and non returnable hugs. The cuddles. The tears. The fears. The nightmares. The bleeding boo boos. The temper tantrums. The LOUD temper tantrum of a very over tired 2 year old in the middle of a very populated store.
What you don’t hear are the whispers in the night. The sweet “I love you” in the morning. The tip toeing of the youngest who goes on adventures in the tile floor kitchen with tap shoes at 2 am.
What you don’t feel is the frustrations of trying to make it in a world 3000 miles away from what we know. What you don’t see is the awesome thrilling excitement of learning something new EVERY SINGLE DAY. What you don’t understand is the culture, the sports, the people, the city, and the vibe we are embracing.
What you don’t see is the chore chart being accomplished. What you don’t see is the word list (homeschool word list) get highlighted little by little every single day. What you don’t hear is the oldest teaching the middle how to sound out words and how to do simple addition up to the number 5. What you don’t hear are the prayers they pray and the thoughtful ways they think of others first. What you don’t hear is the hysterical selfish breakdown that quickly follows where “IT’S NOT FAIR” and “BUT SHE/HE DOESN’T HAVE TO, SO WHY DO I HAVE TO?!”
What you don’t see is the laundry pile that USUALLY gets folded and put away but some weeks it stays in a heap, in the same spot… and we pick out the clean stuff as the days roll on. What you don’t see is how much they LOVE to help me COOK. What you don’t see is how messy the house can get in the matter of 20 minutes of them being awake.
What you don’t hear is the music. You don’t hear the singing. You don’t see the dancing. You don’t hear the whining and complaining but you also don’t hear the praise and secrets being told.
What you don’t hear is the begging and ultimately what are the threats that were given in order to produce a happy family photo.
What you don’t get from looking at a picture……
-vs-
What you do get… is a ‘happy image’ of a happy family.
And that’s exactly what we are. A very happy and grateful family.
Grateful for every minute of chaos.
Cheers ~
Road Trip – Day 1 Tomorrow
Road Trip (adventure) (camping trip) (never ending journey) here we come.
I hope I get some sleep before the first section of this very long ‘road trip’ adventure beings. Nervous and scared. Excited and anticipating. Ready to see and learn. Ready to experience. I can’t believe the departure night/day has finally arrived. All I can hope for is a trip not plagued with break downs and mishaps ……
WISH US LUCK. SAY A LIL’ SOMETHING FOR US and SEND US SOME GOOD VIBES. DO A HAPPY RAIN DANCE FOR US.
*smile*
I live for moments like these…. pictures like this…. where even the picture doesn’t DO the VIEW justice.
How awesome is this life? Happy Days.
Perfectly imperfect, gloriously messy, and happily chaotic little world
If I haven’t expressed how grateful I am for each and every day. Let me say it again today.
I appreciate the simple things. I am truly happy for down time to soak in all the miracles going on around me.
My children are FULL of joy. Full of wonder. Full of questions and inquisitive personalities. They’re also full of chaos. Whining. Bickering. Screaming. Fighting. Pushing. Pulling. Teaching. Helping. Showing. and Learning how to act differently when something frusterating comes at them. Practice is DAILY. We repeat and then repeat some more. Moments like this though make me freeze and just take it all in. The music is playing. They are all happy. They are all sharing. They are dancing. They are singing. They are OVERFLOWING with JOY. And it’s contagious. And I love it. Today was my perfectly imperfect, gloriously messy, and happily chaotic little world.
Do you ever have a moment when all is right with the world?
A private tea party for two,
A tender conversation between a girl and her dog,
A couchful of every single person you love, happily smushed against you.
…
In that moment, all is right with the world.
No fighting, no whining, no chaos—just peace.
No deadlines, no distractions, no demands—just freedom.
No yesterday, no tomorrow, no long-term agenda—just now.
No failings, no criticism, no guilt—just love.
In that moment, all is right with the world.
These moments are brief … they are rare … they can be easily missed. Believe me, I know. But I’m trying not to let them pass me by.
This is how:
Take pause in the busyness of your day—even a moment or two will do. And for a moment, pay attention. Notice. Listen. Stop. Breathe.
There’s a good chance you will catch one:
That moment when all is right in your perfectly imperfect, gloriously messy, and happily chaotic little world.
Peace, love, freedom, and joy right there at your fingertips.
The best moments of life are forever yours when you stop to take them in.
This was NOT written by me but I am in LOVE with everything she posts. So very real and well said. I have to repost but please give her the credit. Check her out on FB too… She’s good stuff.
© Rachel Macy Stafford 2014 – Hands Free Revolution
Living at a slower pace is something many of us want to do, but it’s easier than it sounds, right? I’ve learned to incorporate moments of pause throughout my day. Whether it’s a moment to connect with people I love, nature, or my own thoughts, those moments refuel me and help me focus on what matters. Wishing you a moment of pause in your perfectly imperfect world today!
Wait….Don’t talk….. I have not had my coffee yet.
This is entirely me.
My Happy Hooligans know it.
DO NOT go completely nuts and act like children until I have at least one full cup of wake me up medicine.
🙂
They’re usually good though… I usually fill the coffee drinking time with HUGS and cuddles ….
The MAP ——
(Mental side note – insert annoying “I’m the map” song from Dora now)
“I’m the Map.. I’m the map… I’m the MAPPPP” YAYYYYYY (no)
SO here is a Map — OUR MAP
The map that is hanging in our wall…. shows the route we took here (from NY to AZ) 11 months ago.
It shows the stops we took and it tells a story of where the oldest lost his teeth (he lost 3 teeth along that journey). It explains where we got to watch the 4th of July fireworks after we conveniently broke down in a random town NOT IN THE PLAN.
It shows where we are going to be going and we discuss possible routes (the kids and I). They are unaware of topography or distance/time when they look at the map but they understand that it took them a VERY LONG TIME to get from NY to AZ so the trip back (which is quite different) will indeed be vastly longer.
They see the map every time they walk down the hallway. It is hanging on the wall just as they walk out of the main bathroom in our house. They stop and talk about the different states frequently. They ask about the oceans. They ask about Alaska (NO… I take that back.. my OLDEST asks about Alaska… for some reason he’s obsessed with it lately — not that it might have something to do with the “Alaska” shows that play on Netflix that we watched on a “movie marathon day” over Christmas vacation) —
They had to dress up for “twin day” at school so I threw some matching shirts on them and told them to stand in front of the map. What it means more to me though is that I have frozen time for a split second *
captured their faces. Their hair styles. Their child-like demeanors. In a photograph.
WITH the map behind them… which marks clearly half of the adventure that we’ve taken and the other half is yet to be had.
I can not wait to add our new “STOPS” on the map along the way and have already found a PERFECT spot in the camper for the map ***** THANK GOODNESS BECAUSE THE MAP IS A CRUCIAL part to this entire thing*****
On the way here.. every night.. we would trace our steps along the day… show where we went (or didn’t go – when we broke down and stayed almost in the exact same spot a few days more than we’d like) —- and we put a star on the map. Circled the towns name…. and counted it as another state that we’ve been to.
This whole Roadschooling/travelling/summer vacation/have to go back to NY thing is a blessing and I’m so happy to have these three happy hooligans to share the adventure with….. Let the Adventure of 2014 BEGIN — (not quite ready for DEPARTURE DATE though)
Thank God For Kids
My Life.
My Joy.
My Peace.
My Purpose.
I
love
every
single
opportunity
I
have
been
given
to
be
their
Mother.
🙂
Compass Adventures 