My house expands and contracts.
Remaining flexible may be a key to longevity. I had to give up my expectations of perfection the day I came home from Greenwich Hospital with twins, a two year old, and a four year old. A family of six, with any luck, expands to include cousins, friends,and teammates.And it’s a lot of noise, food, laughter and tears.
Then it contracts… they grow up, they go out, they are at school, they move.
As the main person at home, these patterns require quite a bit of flexibility and change. Often times when we’re contracting I’m secretly wishing for expansion, and the opposite,when the opposite occurs. It’s not really nice to say I wish for contraction during expansion ,but who of us can say we haven’t?
Summer is usually a time for the expansion, so bring it on! And oh yeah…remain flexible!
I get back to basics. I remember the changes that I’ve made, and the things that I’ve tried, and I calm down. I think of myself first, and make sure that the things that are important to my well being don’t get overlooked. College kids back? Do they really mind if I go to the gym? I mean- are they even awake? Visitors? Don’t they want to feel good too? What’s the worst they could say about you if you keep the food simple, real, and good? Time crunch? I like to make a list…then take at least one thing out of the equation.It’s a gift!