Today I was looking at my to-do list – you know the one that is seemingly six miles long and includes client work to create, groceries to buy, product development ideas to hash out, play dates to schedule, gifts to purchase, chores to tackle, laundry to fold, boxes to ship, toes to polish and, of course, Halloween costumes to plan and I thought… what on earth. I am forever focusing on where I’m going and how exactly to get to that Point B. All to get to an end point.
But oh how much we miss when we live life in a constant state of GO.
“God is in the stillness…” (Oprah Winfrey)
Wake up. Shower. Get dressed. Feed Brady. Bottle. Bottle. Bottle. Work. Email (howdiditgetto100+). Dog out. Email. Work. Jump. Jump. Jump. WHERE’STHETOWEL. Sweet potatoes. Applesauce. HeyB,LoveYouToo,Bye. Amazon gift, CHECK. BradyNO. Sweet slobbery love. Change my shirt. iPhone. iPhone. Splish splash. Night night boat. Wheredidallthislaundrycomefrom. Quiet time. Brain explosion. Ideas. Colors. Fonts. Hello gorgeous. Wheresthechardonnay. Dear Lord thank you for this madness.
Yep. That’s many a day here. And somewhere in there to-dos are tackled. Family is fed. Baby is loved. Husband is happy. House is cleaned. Products are created. Brands are developed and refined. Cup is refilled : ) But today as I dove into this routine I started to realize how this fabulous madness has brought such goodness into my life. My journey and my heart have merged together to create these fireworks and it’s just plain good. More and more I find myself in tune with my own heart and better able to connect with our clients’ stories and journeys. I’m more focused because my time is more valuable and that shows in my work. Sure, there’s the occasional crash and burn, but all in all this journey is pretty awesome.
And that’s when I stopped and thought, what JOY I have in my life. Oh, this face… PURE. JOY.
So a big thanks to my Grandma who is swatting at me from Heaven saying “Emily (pronounced with her best Montgomery, Alabama drawl), just be still honey.” (her famous words… ones I heard many a time). The JOY is in the journey. Let us never ever forget to stop and breathe. To take a moment and just soak it all in. The madness. The greatness. The blessings. The JOY. Natalie Norton sent this to Gina, Lara and I the other day. It exemplifies this message so much: “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” St Francis de Sales.
Aaaaaaamen.
I challenge you today (and by doing so I’m challenging myself) to take a moment. Turn off whatever you need to and soak up the goodness in your life. Breathe deep and enjoy the journey. Too often we rush through it and miss the goodness along the way.
Grace not perfection, friends. Grace not perfection.
xo
Emily
