Hello Fall! Even if the weather hasn’t changed much in Phoenix (temperatures still dancing around 110 degrees), there is a much needed change in the wind at my house and in my mind.  I am diving deeper into the Small Stuff.  As I said recently, I am pursuing this way of thinking:

1. Relax
2. Reflect
3. Refocus

I said this too: I have lived in survival mode for most of my 20 years of marriage (military deployments, moves, surgeries, illnesses, marriage problems, parenting problems, natural disasters and even more that I don’t share about here).  God has brought me to a place of plenty.  And I am not putting our any fires or treading water or running for my life…so now I realize that my baby girl is almost 12, more than half-way gone.  Holy cow!  When did that happen?

I want to make some memories.  Dear Kathy Strong calls it creating life stories.  Me? I started to go down the road of bucket lists.  And I wrote one for the blog this summer.  I had the great idea that I would record my progress on Instagram or Pinterest.  Well…we either did the item on the list, but forgot to take a picture, or didn’t do the item at all.  I was super distracted this summer writing an eBook.  It is coming out later this month, thank you for asking.

My friend, blogger Melissa Blair discusses the bucket list dilemma in her My Not So Very Facebook Summer, a post about how her summer bucket list (the inspiration for mine) was, in the end, more of a hindrance than a help. ON one hand, if we don’t plan anything, we will easily accomplish those plans…nothing will get done.  On the other hand, the planning part of being intentional should help us live better lives, not sink deeper into Mommy guilt!  The compromise?  My to do list is scaled back.  This week it looks like this:

• Breathe Deep.  This breathing is the mandatory part.  Breathing is necessary for cellular survival and brain function and talking and singing and so much more….
• Keep Calm (as opposed to “go crazy”).  Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (Matt 6:27).  See the 3 R’s above if worry starts to choke you.
• Dance. This is something we are planning to do as a family.  We (ok, maybe me) want to learn some line dances from Youtube.  What a fun family might activity! See the video (of other people who know how to dance).  I will keep you posted (I have 2 left feet):

• Batch. Work ahead, assembly line.  Work smarter, not harder.  Batching might mean you need to be a little more organized, but it saves time in the end.  You do this when you cook a double portion for dinner and save the second half for another dinner.  I do this with writing too; I try to work ahead on Monday nights when my daughter is in ballet class.

What I love is hearing so many friends and other bloggers are in the same place with me.  We are seeking a better way.  We want to stop striving and start living.  We are discovering A Simpler Joy by collaborating, sharing, and encouraging through a Facebook group.  You are invited to join us!  Click here to join the fellowship on Facebook!