Take time off to make memories

I had the flowerbeds and vegetable garden under control before we left to spend a week in Texas with the grandchildren. As soon as we pulled out of the driveway the weeds had a party. I think they were chugging fertilizer and maybe even growth hormones but I can’t prove that.
When we got back I discovered that the burdock had sprouted leaves big enough to be used as umbrellas and stalks that were almost as tall as Nicholas, our one-year-old grandson.
The wild onions that I missed before we left are in bloom. They look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. The volunteer sunflowers are waist high and growing taller every day. Grass is moving out of the lawn and into the flowerbeds.
I plan on leaving the Queen Anne’s lace in the corner bed because I think it looks pretty and also because the only other blooming things in that particular area are some lilies I received from a former co-worker.
There are plenty of shrubs and trees that need to be trimmed in addition to relocating the weeds to the compost bin. The list of tasks that needs to be done is endless and those are just the outside chores.
But they are all self-imposed jobs. The world won’t end if I choose not to do anything. Sure, there will be more burdock and teasels than daisies and veronica in my little corner of the world but in the end, it won’t matter to anybody but me.
We think we have to hurry and scurry to get everything done. On a typical day we have to drop Emma off at karate, Kaila at soccer and Kristian at baseball. Plus we have to take Jacob to the doctor and don’t forget we promised to bake some brownies for the carry-in tomorrow at work. A storm went through and knocked over some trees and they landed on the fence. We have to find somebody to fix it. The chickens got out and the air conditioner repairman is scheduled for this afternoon. The list is endless.
Yet, when we think back on our lives we remember time spent together or some adventure or another. All the hours spent running from here to there fade into the background. We forget the times we were late and silently screaming at the traffic light to change right now. We don’t remember those times because they aren’t important.
Granddaughter Emma skinned her knees at school one day. She told her mom that the bad news was that she couldn’t go to karate that evening. The good news was that they got to stay home. Emma loves karate and whenever she gets a “tip” or other award, she is as elated as I’ve ever heard her to be. Yet, staying home and playing with her brothers was good news. The world didn’t end because she skipped a karate class.
Her knees are healed now and I took her to karate when we were down there for a visit. She emerged with pink cheeks and a smile, proud that she held her own during sparring practice.
It is good to skip some of the things on our to-do lists once in awhile. There are far more important things in life than operating a shuttle service for our kids, pulling weeds or whatever we have decided we simply must accomplish today. That old saying about taking time to stop and smell the roses is a cliché for a reason.
I challenge you to delete a few things off your to-do list today and instead spend that time making memories with someone you love or just goofing off.

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