Never Take Them for Granted

By: Samantha S. Daviss

“The things you take for granted,
someone else is praying for”
–Unknown

 To me in life there are a few things that people take for granted, but to me they are the biggest things in life.

     

     1)      Family and your kids

     2)      Your health

     3)      Friends

 I can’t stress enough how true this is. We all look at family the wrong way; we look at family as a burden or a nuisance when they come to visit for a few days. Why not look at it as a blessing? Feel blessed and honored that they are comfortable enough around you, in your home, and around your entire family to come spend a few days. Like the old saying goes “Guests, like fish, begin to smell bad after three days.” –Benjamin Franklin

And that is such a true statement. After about three days of changing their routine, their life, and molding into your ways of doing things, they begin to get the itch to leave, just as much as you want them gone. So when they come, make them feel warm and welcomed; because soon they will be gone. And I don’t mean from that visit, I mean from your life. So enjoy the time you have with your family.

And your precious angels. All the “Moms” that you hear about three hundred times a day, the feet you find in your face when you wake up in the morning, all the toys you bend over to pick up, and the massive mounds of laundry that you battle through weekly. I promise, one day you will miss all of it. You will wake up in silence wondering when the pitter patter of little feet will come strolling in during your shower, you will get bored looking for clothes to wash or toys to put away. But have no fear, just as I said before, never take your family for granted and they will return. So cherish those visits and the time you have with your kids or grandkids now.

Your health, now that is something we all take for granted. Whether you are young or old, whether its terminal or you clipped a portion of your finger while pruning bushes. It all creates a pause and an inconvenience in your typical life. Sometimes your health issues can be very scary, some are minor and will heal with time, but nonetheless, you can’t take lightly what the good Lord has given you. 

Don’t abuse yourself, don’t over indulge, and don’t due purposeful harm; because I promise there is someone out there who was diagnosed with lung cancer from second hand smoke, when they have never touched a cigarette in their life; but yet you are perfectly healthy smoking a pack a day.

I am not saying don’t live life. You have to indulge every once in a while. But don’t make it a daily habit to where you do bodily harm both internally and externally to yourself.

And finally your friends. My friends have always been family to me. As they say, “Always remember you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. Maintain honesty and integrity and be true to yourself first and foremost.” –dapmd

This is so very true. Be selective in whom you want to surround yourself with; but be open to those being different than you are. Uniqueness is what makes the world go around, so be sure to understand that no two people are alike. But treasure those that you have selected and those that have chosen to be a part of your life. They are valued treasures that you should never ever release.

Play Hard

In the Tree House:

By: Samantha S. Daviss

We don’t stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing.
 – George Bernard Shaw

This quote is by far one of my most favorite quotes. And it is funny, it was recently backed up by some studies done that prove you will live a longer and healthier life is you play just as much as you work. The study also stated that if your child (or grandchild) asks you to play with them, stop everything you are doing and sit and play with them. Not only does it benefit you, but it does them as well. And the study showed, kids’ attention span is typically only about 15 minutes long. So who can’t spare 15 minutes out of their day to sit and put a puzzle together, or build some Legos?

I am pretty sure everyone has that kind of time. I know sometimes I am really bad about getting wrapped up in the laundry, or the cooking, or just being plan pooped after the day and I brush my kids’ requests off. But not anymore. When they ask I appease. After all, one day, very soon, I will look up and they will be gone. They will be in college starting their own lives, and soon having their own kids.

Primarily this study focused on play just as hard as you work. Really push yourself, really step outside of your comfort zone and have fun, live life, and let your inner child carry you away. I know when I am on the swing set with my boys, I have so much fun. I feel like a kid again, my stomach drops every time I swing high, and it is almost as if all my stresses, adult issues, and daily grinds disappear in the blink of an eye.

I think that is what this study has proven, if you just allow yourself to have fun, not think, and just play like you did as a kid; all your stresses and worries will subside. Therefore, resulting in a healthier happier you. And not to mention, your kids (or grandkids) will always remember you getting down on the floor with them to build a puzzle, to let them crawl in your lap to read a book, or to shoot some hoops outside.

I know as adults we are all really tired, from trying to keep up with the kids, to getting older, and the stresses life throws our way. But if you just let yourself relax and enjoy life then your mind and body will both be happier and healthier because of it.

If you think about it, some of the major corporations are tending to allow for more on-job playtime. And Google is probably the most recognized work place that does this. It is so important to allow adults play time. They need to stretch their minds beyond the cubicle. It allows for creativity, inner peace, and just a healthier person in general.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all the screens and technology. It has eased our world, and advanced us in ways that unimaginable. However, it is time to put down those devices, pick up some Legos, or a coloring book, or a basketball and go play. Let your inner kid come out.

What exactly is play and what defines it?

·         It’s voluntary in the sense that you’re not obligated to do it;

·         it’s flexible and can be changed or manipulated, like Play-Doh for your life;

·         and it’s enjoyable and fun.

Here is a great link to read, that backs up and gives more evidence to this recent study: http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/throw-out-your-computer-and-grab-some-legos.

I personally think making playtime in your daily routine is just as important as incorporating exercise or work time into your daily routine. It doesn’t have to be the same thing every day, but think back on how easy life was as a kid…wouldn’t you want to feel that euphoria at least once a day?

Boring isn’t so bad

By: Samantha S. Daviss

I used to get very anxious when I had nothing to do. When my life was mundane, or when nothing was on the calendar for a while. But now I absolutely long for those days. Between work, kids, and life I feel like I haven’t had a moment to breathe in forever.

I don’t want to brag or anything, but I very rarely get behind on my laundry. And since we have moved, I feel like all I ever do now is laundry. I mean, seriously, did our house start producing clothes? I don’t remember ever having this much to wash. I have never had piles of laundry on the floor of my laundry room, but now I do. Except they are more like mini mountains, not piles.

The past few months of our lives have been absolutely crazy. We moved into our new house in early fall. I started a new company, that started out slowly and has now taken off like gangbusters, in addition to my other full-time job. I managed to unpack every box we had, and then like two weeks later decorate the entire house for Christmas.

Then I took Christmas decorations down, and have now put up Valentine’s Day décor. In the mean time we have been running around for sports with the teen, a knee injury, so back and forth to the doctor we went. And the middle one is doing basketball as well, so we are traveling to his games all the time.

Plus, every once in a while we find another load of stuff that needs to be unboxed and put away in the house. I finally managed to create a hole in our garage for my car to pull in.

During all this we are dealing with getting used to teenage life, running around, and hanging out with friends. Plus, the next two boys becoming a year older and dealing with their school work and worries and woes.

And just around the corner is my big 4-0 birthday. So I am getting geared up for that and excited to travel and see friends that are also turning 40 this year. But for my 40^th, I wanted a new puppy, so I have added that to our chaotic household and life. But she has been great and wouldn’t trade her for the world.

And yet again, just the other day, we discovered another filled warehouse stall full of family photos for the walls of our new home. We knew all this was still in storage, but when you finally get settled and then realize you have more work to do, it’s frustrating.

In addition to that you have volunteer responsibilities, you have work obligations, you have meetings outside of work, plus you have to carve out some family time.

I am so ready for a bunch of blank squares on my calendar. I think I am mentally and emotionally drained from all the excitement the past four months. So to myself I say…if I ever get anxious again about some quiet down time, I might just lock myself in the closet.