In Praise of Idleness

I was idle today. I went back and forth between my chair on the deck and my bed. I did nothing. I listened to the birds sing. I soaked in the sunshine. I watched a show on Netflix. I laughed at the dogs' antics. I did not even make food until late in the afternoon when I made a simple 1 dish meal and told everyone to eat when they were hungry and clean up after themselves.

I felt not even a twinge of guilt. I love to move slowly and see the everyday beauty around me. Most of the time I try to do this regularly, but the last few weeks have been busy. I have been at the store 6 days a week for much longer days than I normally spend there. I know it is a season and it is needed, but I do not like to feel depleted at the end of a work day. So today was a day of rest.

Living with chronic pain has taught me that life is richer and more beautiful when you move more slowly and deliberately through the day. I am so grateful for this lesson that I can {sometimes} even be grateful for the pain. 

In 2021 and now so far in 2022 I have taken and posted a photo each day. I have an Instagram account just for these photos. At the end of 2021 I printed a photo book of all of the photos from the year. It is amazing what a lovely life we lead! You just have to slow down enough to see the beauty.

In Japan they celebrate the holiday Hanami, which translates to flower viewing. It is literally a holiday dedicated to enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms. It is basically having a holiday dedicated to "stopping to smell the roses." I feel like we don't do so well with this in the US. We rush from task to task, piling more and more stress on ourselves until we are burned out and miserable.

And that is where idleness comes in. I wouldn't want days like this one every day, but I sure enjoy one every once in a while! I believe in moving slowly and breathing deeply and enjoying the gifts God has given us. Try it, you may just discover your life is richer for it!

Also, Riley knows how to relax and enjoy life, as evidenced in these photos!

It's a Wrap

We have been home for almost a week now. We have gotten through the going back to work and school doldrums and we have conquered the jet lag. As always, home is my favorite place to be. I was watering my plants today and pulling off the dead leaves, turning them toward the light, etc. and I smiled to myself thinking of how much I love the little, simple home things. 

I sneaked into the room the girls were sharing on the final morning in Kauai to see if they wanted to go see the sunrise with me. One said yes, one said no. Eliana and I walked out to the beach just as the sun was rising and it was well worth the "yes" of getting out of bed and going out. I knew there was a reason I hauled my crystal ball all the way to Hawaii!

Our last day in Kauai we went to Spouting Horn, where waves spout up through a hole in the lava rocks that forms the coastline. The effect is that water is forced up through the hole when waves roll in under the lava rocks. It causes a spout that is quite impressive to see.

Then it was off to the airport. The airport was open to the outdoors where you could see hibiscus blooming. 

Having perfected the art of sleeping on airplanes, I'm not sure how the flights were, but I do know we made it home safe and sound.  I did wake occasionally to drink some water, but that was about it. I was sitting beside Eliana and she is a fantastic little traveler. She settles in and entertains herself for the entire 6 hour flight. There was no seat back entertainment, either. I've been seat mates with adults who did not do as well.

We arrived home on Annika's 15th birthday. We had picked up a necklace and earring set we saw she liked in Hawaii and had asked Freeland to have a cake here when we arrived home. It wasn't the usual birthday celebration, but it did come at the end of a pretty great trip.

Eliana was sick when we arrived home. She is now on antibiotics and is getting better, but she has not yet gone back to school. 

As soon as we arrived home we wanted to see our other kids and our grand baby, but Douglas & Kayla & little Riley had gone to South Carolina to visit Kayla's Pappy. We were pretty happy when they came to see us Sunday afternoon after just getting home early Sunday morning! 

Riley loves saying what the dogs say, Woof!, and she looked so startled every time one of our dogs barked. She would blink her little eyes, point, and say WOOF!! It was adorable, as is everything she does. We may be a bit smitten. 

So, I guess that is a wrap, I blogged through the trip. I think I'll keep going. Probably. We have some other pretty amazing things coming up this summer and I just don't want to miss it.

Helicopter Tour

Wow! The sights we saw today are still just boggling my mind. We lost count of the number of waterfalls we saw, but we also saw the red striped formations I generally associate with desert climates. We saw wild, uninhabited country. We also saw farms. And all of it, every little bit of it was so, so breathtakingly beautiful!

We took a helicopter tour of the island today. We were in a helicopter with no doors, so the views were stunning. And I was a little bit terrified the entire time. My fingers were numb from gripping the seat for the whole hour that we were in the air. 

But that did not keep me from taking pictures. I wished I had my 35mm lens instead of my 100mm, just in case any photographers need to know that. We went so close to everything that I actually wished for a shorter focal length. 

Also, when they tell you to dress warmly, listen. I made sure the kids had jackets, but I had on a t-shirt. It was cold up there with the wind whipping through!

It was all worth the incredible views. I think this ended up being the favorite excursion that we have done.

 

All I can say is that the One who created all of this beauty in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has a love for beauty for the sake of beauty and an unparalleled imagination. Everywhere I go on this big, beautiful world I am more and more impressed with the greatness of God.