Spring is here! It’s the season of new beginnings, new birth, longer days, and lots and lots of pollen! I don’t have allergies, but you really can’t get away from the yellow haze over everything. My favorite season is fall, but there’s just something about the warming air and return to sunny days that makes me feel hopeful.

 

 

On the other hand, although the warm air and sunshine is good for my mood and I can get outside despite the pollen, the busyness of the season conspires to steal away my contentment. I know spring in the south is short, but with all the activities I often feel like I miss spring altogether! Let me explain. Our formal homeschool program ends in late April, which means presentations, papers, memory master exam prep, and other end of year events. That includes pot luck and teacher thank you gift shopping, and while I love to shop and buy gifts, I just don’t have a lot of free time to get it done. My big girl has a middle school dance at church this weekend, so dress and shoe shopping was on the agenda. Easter is coming up, so candy and eggs for the Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood had to be purchased and assembled, as well as getting the kits for Easter egg dying. Our church is having our cultural Sunday on Easter this year, which involves a huge potluck lunch afterwards (which I need to cook for). Did I mention that nurses’s week and Mother’s day is coming soon too?

 

That kind of busyness makes me feel overwhelmed if I’m not careful. I’ve still got to go to work too! The best ways I’ve learned to fight the anxiety is to use outside time and my grateful list to stay thankful and present in the moment. So this week I’m going to do some of my grateful list here to keep reminding me (and you!) of the beauty in our lives, even when we struggle to be here in it. Here are some highlights from the week so far…

 

This is a beautiful hydrangea I saw in the yard of one of my neighbors. I just stood there for a few breaths and enjoyed it.

 

Sunrise in my neighborhood – a moment I was able to witness as I set out on a walk this week.

 

These are my big kids dressed and made up for their Faces Of History presentation. They each wrote a research paper on a historical figure for their writing course. Then they presented as the character in front of their peers and families without identifying themselves for the community to guess their identity. They did so well! I’m amazed I get to be their mom…

 

I made tiny snacks for the kids and the little baggie of treats was so cute! I put little pieces of dark chocolate in them so they’d be happy to eat the almonds. (I told them it was my special chocolate, which was true. I just didn’t mention that it was sugar free…)

 

Taking some time to notice the lovely and beautiful moments in my life keeps my heart and mind peaceful. I can choose where my mind spends its time, whether worrying and anxious or calm and grateful. It doesn’t really matter if I’m busy or on vacation – my mind is always looking for the danger, the threat, the problem. It’s ok – that’s how humans are wired. But the mind can be trained to respond to normal life as a gift and not a threat. I enjoy my life much more as a gift!

 

How about you? What do you do to neutralize that sense of overwhelm or anxiety? Please share in the comments below!