Every morning I like to get going while I have my biggest burst of energy of the day. I wash dishes, start laundry, sweep floors, tidy up, and mostly- get breakfast cooked. Jeff always uses this morning time to get a good start on the day too- working in the shop (or lately working on the coop too.) Bracken helps me harvest ingredients in the garden and then I feed him snacks at the kitchen table to fill up his tummy till breakfast time. A favorite snack lately is to give him a hard boiled egg. He loves to peel it and it can keep him occupied for a little bit. And every bit helps, as you know. I’m busy at the stove. I love cooking. The smells stimulate my appetite and I enjoy taking the time to make something nourishing. Sometimes Bracken stays occupied. Sometimes he helps sprinkle seasoning on our meal. Sometimes things go fairly smoothly, though far from being a breeze. And other times? Other times he clings to my leg and whines and wants me to carry him and throws tantrums and does all the things a two year old does. That’s when my energy starts to drain and cooking breakfast seems to take forever and it feels so impossible to get anything accomplished. Sometimes I am completely exhausted by the time I’ve finished breakfast and there’s so much left to do in the day. Sometimes I wonder how a simple thing like cooking a meal can be so hard. And so many other tasks. Once we’ve all eaten breakfast together, I might push through and work on getting packages together or some other task that needs to get done. If Bracken starts running out of patience and I feel stretched to my limits, if I’ve reached “the end of my rope” and clearly he has too, yet there’s still things that need to get done… what to do?

That’s when we drop it all and put on our shoes and walk out the door. There’s no sense in pushing on, we’ve done that enough times to know nothing much gets accomplished at that point. We know that’s when what’s really needed is a breather. A step back. And as soon as we are outside something magical happens. The worries start to lift and the laughter starts to return. More lighthearted? Yes. We breathe in that fresh air and some peace returns. Bracken pours his water and chases his butterflies and I pull weeds and listen to the birds. Soon we feel much better and my energy starts to return. I know I’ll get the top priorities on my list for that day done somehow and others I just won’t get to, and that’s alright. One way or another it will work out. It takes being outside to see that. Outside, for those few moments, we get a break. It’s so needed and it’s so wonderful. So, if you’ve found yourself in that place, you know that place, why not head outside and let your worries rest for a few moments? Why not get centered and grounded, and then, when you’re ready, head back in to start again?