New Life

With Ben away at camp this week and just the 2 girls and little boys to keep me company, the atmosphere around our home has certainly had a different feel.  And while they may not admit it, these younger siblings really are missing their big brother, the head of the contingent we have here, leader of their games and mastermind of all their fun schemes.

Yesterday, with a morning full of gloom both outside and in, I took a page out of my friend Amy's playbook. She has always said that just changing the location of a toy or project can "breathe new life" into it.  I gave it a try and carried the dollhouse down from the girls room to set it up in the living room.



The excitement in the air was palpable.  "Guys, guys, come on!  Mom brought down the doll house!"  I'm not sure who was more excited - Dinah, Fiona or Jonah.  After selecting just who would live in the doll house this time (My Little Ponies, apparently), the 3 of them started in with some wild and wonderful imagination play.  New life, indeed.

Changing the location of the toy changed only one thing: perspective.  I am amazed by how much a change in perspective really can make all of the difference.  This summer has been a tricky one for me.  From the impossibly high temperatures to the grass shriveling up, groundhog massacred garden to rain clouds passing us right by, I've realized that I've been moping quite a bit..  I haven't taken them to a lake.  Our nature walks have been few and far between.  The prospect has seemed completely overwhelming, and the days when it is cool enough to be outdoors, I've spent inside, getting everything I can done before the next heat wave.

I've been using less than ideal circumstances as a "get out of summer free" card.  The only problem is, I don't want to get out of summer.  I want to enjoy it!

I need a change in perspective.

So tomorrow, I'm packing the car with bathing suits and sunscreen and driving out to a lake, just because.  Summer is fast fleeting, and sometimes you just need to seize the day.  Instead of "we have all the time in the world," I'm claiming "pack it all in!" and we're going to get out there and have some real, authentic summer fun.  Heat or no heat.  Breathing new life into these, the last few weeks of summer.