Friends-

I thank the stars for friends.  Old friends, new friends, close friends, and casual friends.  Life has been super-full lately....OK, Emma, let's peel away your optimist-spin for a moment and just get it out there:  life has been too full lately.  I know the details of "my cup over-flow-ith" life will pop up in entries to come, no need to dwell now.  Suffice it to say I LOVE the forum to blog my reflections on real-world kindness and I haven't shared a blog entry in almost two months, nor a Today's Act of Kindness email (another love)....

So many loves.......that's what is super-filling me up.  What to do?  How to prioritize one dear person over another or one exciting project over another?  I struggle.  And I insist that there is time in the day (at least in the wee hours) to do it all.  My mantra has been:  Life is short!  I feel most alive when I am embracing the people, community, and creativity around me.

Enter Hannah.  Beautiful, periwinkle-hatted Hannah.  I was swiftly on a walk with Lilah to the grocery store and I bumped into my neighbor Hannah.  I met Hannah a few years ago & we have held a warm spot in each other's heart since.  It had been months since I saw her & we took the time to sit and chat for a bit.  One of my favorite things about Hannah--besides her warmth, intellect, and spunk--is her undivided and empathetic ability to listen.  We covered all the basic "big rocks" of the last few months for both of us, and she said, "how are things really going?  and how are you doing with motherhood?"

I explained that, actually, I felt like I was drowning.  Drowning in a sea of things that I adored.  (Is that possible?)  I said that I loved every minute of being a mom, but that somehow the care & nurturing of this little person was never on my to-do list, and as that occupied most of my time (baby Lilah's mantra:  sleep. eat. poop. repeat.) I kept feeling behind with the things I commit to do, want to do, and need to do (laundry, cleaning, accounting...)  Anyway, this the quandary of many people.

Although I am not unique in this tension, and although Hannah doesn't have children, she compassionately listened and wisely said, "Emma, life is long.  There is plenty of time to do all these things you want to do.......they don't all have to happen right now."

I keep repeating those simple words to myself "life is long" and it actually relaxes me.  Thank you, Hannah.  Your words are a kindness to my heart and my head.  In my world of emails and phone messages that I can't keep up with, and trying to cherish each moment of Lilah's babyhood, and a constant stream of loving family and friends as house guests, it is advice I take to heart.  But can I live it?  We will see.....

On that note, I anticipate---hee hee---more time allotted to blogging, and I just want to give you a heads' up that I see kindness EVERYWHERE and will be reporting and reflecting on this once or twice a week.  If you have liked the (in)frequency of my current blogging trend, it's about to change.

Enjoy...but at a sustainable pace :)

Emma