Remember Calm..Reduce Chaos..

Some days are shaped by simple pleasures..others are redeemed by them. Today (especially today as I notice it's raining outside) I think back on such days- beautiful summer days at the beach- days shaped by joy and simplicity. An afternoon in the sand with my family, irresistible reading, wonderful music in my ears, laughing as the waves lap at my ankles and bury my feet further into the cool sand. Then back to my comforting home, a refreshing shower, a cocktail, conversation and cooking, an abundance of delicious food, laughter and loved ones. And then to bed...happy and content.
An Irish proverb tells us "Better one good thing that is, rather than two good things that were, or three good things that might never come to pass." On those days there was no need to glance longingly at the past or project anxiously into the future...because the present was fully lived, abundantly enjoyed, and completely calming. Those days were rich with one good thing after another until the day..and the goodness...literally overflowed.
But, unfortunately, not all my days are beach retreats full of serenity. Sometimes there are battles...both real and imagined, created hurts, mental and physical exhaustion...that send my day careening out of control. My heartbeat is accelerated, my coping strategies confusing, my well laid plans kaput. On these days I realize I have three choices before me, but only one real life solution: scream at the top of my lungs, retreat to the bathroom, or take a deep breath and redeem the day with Plan B.
Since the primary role of Stay At Home Mom is not to do anything that might alarm children or confuse pets, clearly screaming is out. And since it's really neither feasible or sanitary to drown yourself in blue toilet water (not that I would have enough privacy to do so), the bathroom is out as well. So...I pour myself a cup of coffee and recall the Hasidic prayer, 'I know the Lord will help..but help me Lord, until You help.' The reality is that today will only be as hard as I make it. Or as easy. There is nothing I can do about right now but accept it and get it over with. I remind myself that it is always my choice. I don't have to LIKE whatever life throws at me, but I can certainly catch the ball. After all, winning the game of life is not how well we execute Plan A...it's that we employ and cope with Plan B. And that we have one.
So I consider Plan B...redeem the day with familiar comforts, relaxing rituals, and faith and family. I take my coffee to the front porch and sip it while I watch the rain. I play with the puppies. I study cookbooks and decide on something new for dinner. I pick a movie to snuggle up and watch with the family before bed. I decide to bake a cake for dessert. I clean the kitchen. I spend the day focusing on the one good before me that is, rather than the two that were, or the three that obviously will not happen today.
My day stretches before me. Not as I had hoped...but, thank goodness, not beyond redemption. Tomorrow is, after all, another day. And there is always the beach.

XOX