Listening to Nature

Do you ever have days when you "think" you have just way too much to do? And maybe, just maybe you might even have a slim chance of getting about 1/2 of it done IF you forget all about sleeping, taking a shower or eating? Add a chattering pre-schooler to the mix and what is a Momma to do? Prioritize!

*

First off, my desk will probably always look about like what it does. Although - this is an old photo of my "desk" while my work space was in transition - I DO have a desk with the pull-out keyboard tray so everything is at the correct height, etc. AND, I've added different "filing" ideas to my office in order to help it at least "look" more organized. Despite how this desk area looks - I am actually pretty organized when it comes to my paperwork. Not perfect. And I struggle with simple things like balancing a checkbook, but at least I think I am efficient enough to run a household and business from here. And, as my Mom used to always say - if it weren't for deadlines, alot of things wouldn't get done. How true. And this is just my desk area, a small fraction of what I handle every day.

*

But somedays, well - I look at it all, I look at my son who just doesn't have any concept that Momma has paperwork to do, and I think - well, I could get up earlier tomorrow and do it while he is sleeping. It is not like I will ever, ever be caught up with my paperwork because just when I get sort-ov to the bottom of the pile - the daily mail arrives! On the otherhand, my son is growing by leaps and bounds. So, I get up earlier - 5:30 was working pretty good in August, but now for some reason I am up at 4. No, I will NOT start doing paperwork at 4, but I can have a cup of tea and do some things for myself. Like Blogging. Because when I flip through my archives I remember things that otherwise I might have forgotten. And, I want to remember. I seem to have a problem with my memory. I can remember, in great details, many silly little things about my past, like the wallpaper design in my childhood home's dining room, but then I have great big, huge blanks when I just don't remember anything, or else I will have some sort of vague recollection of events. This summer someone asked me for my phone number and the only number I could think of was the number for a house from when I was little - I am talking years and years ago. After a moment, it hit me, that was not my phone number! I had to think for a moment to remember what my own current phone number is. Then again, numbers aren't really my strong suite - I actually remember phone numbers by the pattern you "type" on your phone. So, it makes sense to think my phone number is some old number that was drilled into my head when there was no "pattern" because we had rotary phones back then. So that would be the "number" I would know to "tell" someone without having to look at a phone to "see" the "pattern". Get it? How weird is that? I once made all the blocks for a queen sized log cabin, put them in the closet and when I cleaned out the closet I was so surprised to find them - I have no memory of ever making those blocks! But I do remember when and where I bought the fabrics! Then again, mindless chain sewing of log cabin blocks doesn't really take much "thought" for me, it is more of a soothing process. But buying fabric - well that takes careful consideration so it makes sense that I would remember that.

*

But anyway, never mind about all of that. The title of my post is "Listening to Nature". So, back to the topic at hand...

*

The more overwhelmed I feel, the more my son will pick up on any stress vibes. He gets chattier and chattier, his voice louder and louder and the pitch - well the pitch reaching those very high notes that only the Vienna Choir Boys Chorus can seem to achieve. My little angel. Of course, while he is sitting on my lap, just in case I thought I was going to get anything done. What can I do? I can stop. Close my eyes. Smell the sunshine and love in his hair. And say - let's go for a walk.

*

He slips his little hand into mine as we walk along and we listen to nature. The birds. The red squirrel. The waves lapping at the shore. I carry the camera and he points out beauty for me to photo. He is delighted by things like - a slug on a rotting apple that has fallen to the ground, mushrooms hiding in the shade, and - finding the trail markers along the way. He is curious. Plant names, bird names, different bird calls, insects, butterflys. If I don't know - we take a photo and I try to look it up in a guide book when we get home. And as we walk along, he calms down and I calm down and we enjoy ourselves, sometimes not talking at all, but listening to nature. It is a gift my son has given to me, and for this I am grateful. Prioritize.