"Stop the Glorification of Busy"

An empty calendar. A fresh planner. Blank space. Free Time.

This cute calendar is for sale over at PoppySeedProjects!

Quickly filled: Work. Class. A few mandatory obligations. The occasional necessary appointment.

What about the leftover space? The blank evenings. A free lunch hour. The white space.

We fill it. With anything.

Clubs at school. Committees at church. Campus organizations. Household improvements. Volunteer work. Job shadowing. Meeting with friends. Bible Study group here, book club there.

also from PoppySeedProjects

Not to mention the other little things filling our time- laundry, errands, taking care of kids and other family members, cooking, errands, other odds and ends. Even planning for our business… for our “crazy schedule” next week. We turn the page of the planner, and it starts over again.

But why? Why do we fill the blank space with so many things? Yes, some are enjoyable. Some are necessary. I am not saying to eliminate anything in particular. But does having a free weekend, a free day, a free evening, or even a completely free hour feel foreign to you? Do you feel like you SHOULD be doing something? (I do...) Something productive? (yes.) Something that will produce results and give you a sense of accomplishment? (definitely yes!) When we are so busy, how can we afford to let an hour go by unfilled with productivity? Guilt intrudes. It fills the hour, the day, the weekend. It fills the white space.

STOP.

Welcome the free time. Allow yourself the white space. Don’t let guilt, or anybody else for that matter, tell you need to be busy. In order to tackle the busy times, we must allow the white space to remain open. It is necessary in order to recharge.

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Fill it as it comes, with intentional activities that help you regroup and relax. Reading a book, writing in a journal, going for a walk, time with friends or family having fun, making a craft, catching up on a TV show. We are all recharged by different things. Know what helps you.

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. For some people, this means time off work. Don’t fill your weekend with endless tasks, and certainly don’t let guilt fill it. Allow yourself to recharge. For those who work regular or even extra hours this weekend, look for small moments of white space or look forward to upcoming moments.

Remember to recharge.

How do you recharge? Do you ever feel guilty when you have free time or don't feel productive? Why do you think our society "glorifies busy"?

Experiences as Gifts: Paint Your Own Pottery

My favorite 5 year old's birthday!

The people we love the most are often the hardest to give gifts to… because we want to find the perfect gift. We want one that is unique, that shows how much we love and appreciate the person, and something that is meaningful. But we often are thinking about the things we can buy.

I think one of the best gifts for someone you are close with is the gift of your time. The gifts of memories, moments, and experiences. Those are meaningful. Those are unique. Giving the gift of an experience can include a wide range… Planned or spontaneous. Expensive or free. It could include a surprise destination, or a cozy day at home. 

Back in March, I gave my niece an “experience gift” and it was a blast! We went to a paint-your-own-pottery studio called All Fired Up. She didn’t know where we were going. She just knew that Aunt Megan was picking her up to go to a surprise place. When I arrived to pick her up, she had a surprise for me- flowers she picked from the yard in a cute little vase! So thoughtful at 5 years old!

So sweet! So thoughtful! So beautiful!

So we went in the studio and she got to pick something to paint from all of the pottery pieces. There were lots of cute pottery figurines and characters but for some reason she was not happy that they were all banks… she didn’t want a bank. So we settled on a plate, one that she would be able to use. Then she got to pick colors of paint and we began painting- together.

 I loved that she kept saying, “This is relaxing.” Even when you are five years old, life can be stressful. I loved that she was able to have a relaxing evening. We painted stripes and added more colors and used stamp shapes. Finally we got to write something on it. She wanted to write, “Kennedy and Aunt Megan love each other forever and ever.” When she said that was what she wanted to write, my heart was touched. But because that phrase was a little long for a small plate, we settled on “Kennedy and Aunt Megan Best Friends Forever.”

So much concentration!

Once finished, I explained to her that the artists who work there had to “cook” it and that we could come pick it up in a week. I said they had to put it in the kiln but apparently she misheard the work “kiln” because she replied with, “They are going to kill it?!” In her defense, the word kiln is not typically a part of a preschooler’s vocabulary. The artist on staff let us go in the back and see the kilns and the pieces waiting to be fired. After waiting a week, I was able to pick it up and take it back to show her. She was really excited to see the finished product, the result of her hard work.

The final product! Before going in the kiln. 

Giving gifts that are things can be great, especially if it is something the person wants or needs. But things collect dust. Things wear out. Things get outgrown. 

Experiences and memories can last a lifetime. 

Consider gifting an experience sometime. It was a blast for Kennedy and me. (I enjoyed it, too!)

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Have you ever given or received an experience gift? What was it and who was it from?

*This picture was found on Pinterest. After efforts to find the original source, it looks as though the original user is no longer active on Flickr. I do not take credit for this image.

Kindness Gems from Around the World...(Wide Web)

Here are some of my favorite kindness quote and images from around the world wide web! Along with an awesome video by LifeVestInside. The video shows just how much of an impact on small act of kindness can make. They also have an elementary curriculum for incorporating kindness lessons into kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms! The lessons align with the Common Core State Standards so teachers don't have to find additional time to teach the lessons but can use these lessons as one way of meeting those standards. Unfortunately, as standardized testing and evaluating teachers become increasingly "hot topics" in education, teachers have less freedom to teach other important life lessons that matter. Life Vest Inside seems to understand that kindness is too important to be pushed aside. Curious about how the name Life Vest Inside relates to kindness? Their slogan is, "Because kindness keeps the world afloat!"

Here's the video!

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And here are some other kindness gems!

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Which kindness quote is your favorite? And do you think kindness should be taught in school? Leave answers in the comments space below!