so... about this weekend....

As I type this, it is late (Ha!!! 8:53 pm... late!!!) on Sunday. I am listening to my son perform his usual bedtime gymnastics as he settles down to sleep. The cat is sitting by me on the couch, and I wish there could just be a little more time in this almost perfect weekend.

I read a book. I saw a movie. I ate a delicious meal involving pan-seared duck in a chili sauce. I insulated the attic. I made a pumpkin pie. I visited with family and friends. I practiced tap dancing. I did not fold laundry, watch football, clean my bedroom, scrub the floors, or clean the toilets. I made a conscious choice to ignore yard-work.

I am tired.... but it's the kind of tired that comes from spending time on the things I enjoy - not the tiredness of dreading tasks. Those other things still need to be done, and I'll do them - eventually. But I do not regret the time spent in the company of others. I think I need that more sometimes.

Boxes

There's a ubiquitous phrase that I'm starting to hate - "Think outside the box."
What box? A shoe box? A boxy car? A situation you are stuck in? The compartment of expectations that people have for you? Honestly, what good does it do to merely think outside that box?

Why am I thinking about boxes? Because I hate feeling like I've been put in one. I rebel against other's expectations for me. I don't want to be coddled and protected and kept on a shelf. I need and want to know that I'm capable that I can try things that challenge me, and *IF* I fail... my family and friends will be there to pick me up and say " That was a GREAT try!"

How will you know what you can do if you don't try? How small will your world get if you stay in the box? How small will *you* get if you stay in the box?

LIVE outside that box. Stretch out big. Push yourself. You'll have plenty of time in a box later.