And Away They Went
Our girls have headed off to camp for 2 weeks and so we are temporary empty-nesters. With plenty of work to do, there is no shortage of creativity and enthusiasm, but there is still an eery quietness that somehow seems distracting. I believe that as parents it is easy to define ourselves in terms of our roles – mom or dad. Even though we have professional degrees and lives of our own, those kids become our world. At least I know I would drop most anything and everything to put their needs before my own. So what will we do to keep ourselves “busy” while the kids are away? Work hard, of course. Play hard, definitely.
It is easy, as an adult, to forget how important it is to play. Whether you are into sports is irrelevant here. Playfulness comes in many shapes and sizes and is not held to any strict definition. Sometimes it comes in the form of a mean Scrabble game or game of cards. Other times it is a great bike ride or tennis match. If you have a trampoline, don’t let it collect dust and leaves when the kids are away – practice your jumping skills and see if you can strike some awesome pose mid-air. And as I write this I realize, we don’t need to wait for our kids to go away in order to play. Kids like when adults are goofy. Children need parents who take care of themselves; parents who laugh and have energy leftover at the end of the day to be present with them. Don’t put off taking care of yourself until your kids are grown or (temporarily) out of the house.
One thing I committed to while our girls are away is to not eat any sugar or processed foods. We were indulging a bit with summertime – a little ice cream here and there, baking fruit crisps and pies… Instead now I will enjoy fresh fruits that are so abundant right now! And I am getting back to that meditation practice that has taken a back seat to summer activities. It is much easier to continue the practice once a few weeks of daily practice is underway. Our kids enjoy meditating as a family and our teenage daughter set up her own meditation spot in her room, so again, it is a perfect time to get back on track and get the whole family on board when they return.
What else will we do while they are away? We will pass the time in several ways. First, we will continue to wake up early everyday and do our morning exercise, meditation, and goal setting. After a hearty breakfast we’ll get to work – writing, creating, and generally keeping up with the needs of our businesses. We are working on some exciting projects that we are excited to be sharing with you early next year. We’ll do a better job of blogging to keep you in the loop of what is coming down the pipe with Optimum Wellness. Until then we wish you great health, abundant joy and a beautiful day.
August 2, 2010
by Optimum WellnessComments
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