Sometimes there is MORE in Less

The past year has been a whirlwind. Lots of uncertainty mixed with heightened political and social tensions in our world combined with a pandemic that has changed the way of life over the past year has sent most of us in survival mode. I purposely distanced myself from social media and spent many months focusing on being intentional with my time. Ironically, when life was the most calm it’s been in years, my days and to-do lists still stretched far into the night.

I’ve been more absent on social media and more present in my life. In 2020, our family experienced lots of changes in addition to those caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. A big move. More loss of loved ones; we lost two amazing grandparents last year, one due to the pandemic itself. Justin had a major job change, and is no longer in corporate America but working in private military where his heart and passion lie. We found ourselves at home more, spending more time together than ever, and loving that part of the changes of the year. We reflected on the opportunities we had during the pandemic to be a homeschool family and grateful because life wasn’t drastically altered regarding the kid’s schooling. We kept more of a sense of normalcy and 1st grade and Pre-K4 are moving right along.

However, it is disheartening to think of the changes all the little one’s have endured over the last calendar year. I am confident that neither of ours really remember life before Covid. As resilient as kids are, their newly 5 and 6-year-old little selves have rolled with the punches and adjusted well to mask-wearing and limited opportunities for activities. They have spent more time building forts, working puzzles, creating movie nights, and admittedly more time on their iPads during the recent cold winter months than mom and dad would prefer. It’s a hard balance for parents right now.

However, these more quiet, less going, less busy moments have brought comfort and joy in other ways. We are so grateful for the downtime. We’ve done home projects, traveled when we were able, got a new puppy, and made memories with these littles. We’ve spent more time with God, more time cuddling, more time coloring, more time laughing, and more time with family.

Personally, it was a refreshing gift to be more intentional with our time. Less of the busy obligations we so easily say yes to, less of the hustle and bustle and going with the flow, and more of creating our own pace and finding joy in our days. The truth is, there’s still joy in less. There’s joy in no makeup and PJs all day on a cold winter day, while school still continues and lunch time is followed by hot cocoa and a movie on the couch. There’s joy in less after school activities, meetings, appointments and obligations and more memories made at home.

I’m not sure what this past year took from you, or required from you. I know there’s a lot of hurt and pain that accompany less sometimes… especially regarding small businesses and a volatile economy, etc., but I hope no matter what this year took from you, that it also gave you some joy. I hope this past year allowed you to be more intentional. I hope you found more time with your family and friends. I hope you found more rest for yourself. I hope you found more hobbies (or less) whatever your heart needed. If you didn’t, I hope you find that now, it’s not too late. I’m a huge proponent for mental health, and sometimes we start the right journey to a healthy self by finding the joy we do have, and acknowledging that joy. We live in a society that is driven by “busy”, that views indicators of success and self-worth by how many hours we give our careers a week, or how many things we check off our to-do lists. I’m here to tell you, it’s okay to do less and be okay with that, actually even happier with that. It’s okay to enjoy this life you’re living, and for it not to look like someone else’s. It’s okay to be content, and to stop striving. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, even in the middle of an economy crushing, life-altering pandemic.

It’s okay to be intentional with your time, in fact, it’s the most valuable thing you own.

Blessings,

Kristy