Haley
I dread rainy days with the Rowdy boys almost as much as I dread cold winter days, except I know the rain only lasts a few days whereas winter cold lasts the season. I dread keeping my hooligans indoors, where they’re bound to fight and argue and cry 100 times more than they would if we were outside. I dread the state of my house after a day spent indoors, with toys and shoes and leftover food pieces strewn about. I dread trying out 10 different activities to keep them entertained, only to leave behind a trail of playdoh stuck to my hardwood floors, marker lines drawn across their tiny table, stickers stuck to the counter, slivers of construction paper littered about the floor, puzzle pieces broken in half, book pages ripped.
And just as I’m halfway swept up into this rainy-day despair, God humbles me and I’m reminded of the endless ways He’s blessed me in this life, blessings I so easily forget when my focus isn’t in the right place, on the right things. Of course, I’m so grateful for these little spunky children, but beyond that, I’m thankful for things in my middle-class lifestyle that I’m accustomed to simply expecting. When it comes down to it, I’ve got more than enough, arguably so much that my focus shifts too often to the things in this life that hold little meaning or value.
And this, this is my reason for minimizing, for downsizing, for the desire to get rid of it all and start fresh with less. Can I be bold, can I be confident, can I disregard the furrowed brows of onlookers? Can I not just think but live outside the box?
I’m working on it–all of it. I totter between clinging to my familiar routine and a zealous pursuit for adventure. I want to see more, learn more, do more, be more. And I know I’m writing quite vaguely, because life is complicated and messy and ever-changing, because the plans we make aren’t always the paths we take.
But these rainy days that keep me locked up with my little ones, they remind me that I’m right where I need to be, living a bit more slowly, if only for a day or two. They fuel my dreams of adventure and change while reinforcing the power of rest and a narrowed focus. In the end, these rainy days are nothing to dread.
