Our Mindful Eye
It's that time again........see what I did there ;). This is the second week of Tracie West's and my project, that we have decided to call The Mindful Eye. Tracie and I are both keen on noticing the details, so the name just made sense. In my office space, I have this giant wall calendar that I love, and consider wall art. I even save the sheets that I tear off each month for future projects. That was my inspiration this week.
Time is something I have the hardest time wrapping my brain around. Sometimes the consequences of time consume my thoughts. Not in a introspective personal way, more in a historical way. Like when I am hiking, I often think about who might have lived on this land 200 years ago, what did that look like. I have stood on the top of a mountain and wondered what tales this mountain could tell from the past. I think to myself, this rock cliff has been here for thousands of years, and witnessed the flood that Noah lived through and now I am standing on it. Wrap your brain around that.....
I took a test years ago for right brain versus left brain and several questions had to do with time. Apparently creative people suck at keeping track of time. My son once told me he trusts his time more with (insert T.E.R.R.O.R group here) than he does with me. We all busted out laughing, but it's true. When I was in 9th grade my first period science teacher wrote in my year book that I should try setting my alarm clock back 15 minutes. When I worked at Little Caesars in my teens, they would schedule me at 3:45, so that I would be there by 4:00. As an adult, I still struggle. If there is something I must attend, and be on time, it feels like I have to make so many extra preparations just to insure I will be on time. There is not one single clock in my house that is set to the correct time. When I am getting ready, I look first at the clock in our room, then as I am finishing up to leave, I know I have to leave by a certain time according to the oven clock. Then when I reach my car, I know that it has to be at a certain time in order for me to arrive at work on time. None of those clocks are set for the same time. It sounds crazy, and sometimes I think about doing it like a normal person, but I know that hasn't worked for me. I need to keep myself a little confused, thus not willing to take those chances with my time that don't often end well for me.
Last year I became a nana for the first time, and now she is 1 years old. My second granddaughter was born, and now she is 6 months old. How did that happen? My first 18 years took F O R E V E R, yet my kids first 18 years happened in a blink, and I literally couldn't believe it was over. My last child graduated in 2014, and now 4 years have since lapsed. How? I have known my best friend for 31 years. How can that be since I just barely graduated from high school? I have given 25 years of my life to a hospital that would discard me in a second. I have worked for 11 of those years in a department that has the best group of women ever! I start a post for my blog, and then when I return to finish it, 2 weeks have passed, sometimes 2 months. I take pictures on my ipod that I plan to post on the same day and before I know it, 3 days have passed and I think, what's the point.....
I think because I am so aware that time slips away, it makes me very mindful of the here and now. Even when my own kids were babies, and I wasn't aware of any trend toward mindfulness , I knew that I wanted to enjoy every second I could. I wanted to pay attention and see all the details. I was mindful before I even knew what mindful was. I wonder what Tracie West's mindful eye saw this week?
Time is something I have the hardest time wrapping my brain around. Sometimes the consequences of time consume my thoughts. Not in a introspective personal way, more in a historical way. Like when I am hiking, I often think about who might have lived on this land 200 years ago, what did that look like. I have stood on the top of a mountain and wondered what tales this mountain could tell from the past. I think to myself, this rock cliff has been here for thousands of years, and witnessed the flood that Noah lived through and now I am standing on it. Wrap your brain around that.....
I took a test years ago for right brain versus left brain and several questions had to do with time. Apparently creative people suck at keeping track of time. My son once told me he trusts his time more with (insert T.E.R.R.O.R group here) than he does with me. We all busted out laughing, but it's true. When I was in 9th grade my first period science teacher wrote in my year book that I should try setting my alarm clock back 15 minutes. When I worked at Little Caesars in my teens, they would schedule me at 3:45, so that I would be there by 4:00. As an adult, I still struggle. If there is something I must attend, and be on time, it feels like I have to make so many extra preparations just to insure I will be on time. There is not one single clock in my house that is set to the correct time. When I am getting ready, I look first at the clock in our room, then as I am finishing up to leave, I know I have to leave by a certain time according to the oven clock. Then when I reach my car, I know that it has to be at a certain time in order for me to arrive at work on time. None of those clocks are set for the same time. It sounds crazy, and sometimes I think about doing it like a normal person, but I know that hasn't worked for me. I need to keep myself a little confused, thus not willing to take those chances with my time that don't often end well for me.
Last year I became a nana for the first time, and now she is 1 years old. My second granddaughter was born, and now she is 6 months old. How did that happen? My first 18 years took F O R E V E R, yet my kids first 18 years happened in a blink, and I literally couldn't believe it was over. My last child graduated in 2014, and now 4 years have since lapsed. How? I have known my best friend for 31 years. How can that be since I just barely graduated from high school? I have given 25 years of my life to a hospital that would discard me in a second. I have worked for 11 of those years in a department that has the best group of women ever! I start a post for my blog, and then when I return to finish it, 2 weeks have passed, sometimes 2 months. I take pictures on my ipod that I plan to post on the same day and before I know it, 3 days have passed and I think, what's the point.....
I think because I am so aware that time slips away, it makes me very mindful of the here and now. Even when my own kids were babies, and I wasn't aware of any trend toward mindfulness , I knew that I wanted to enjoy every second I could. I wanted to pay attention and see all the details. I was mindful before I even knew what mindful was. I wonder what Tracie West's mindful eye saw this week?
Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success...
~Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868
I had left a comment via my cell phone yesterday but must not have worked:) I love how we both each talk about personality type tests to explain ourselves in a way. That was kind of weird. I love that you already seem to have a theme going on, one image in black and white. Your wall calendar looks pretty cool with those nice big numbers. We got this! Two weeks down!
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