Tuesday, January 21, 2014

{UN}hurried. My {UN} Word for 2014.


It's become popular over the past few years to choose a "word" for the year, either in place of or in addition to new year's resolutions.  I've enjoyed reading about other people's words, but I've never focused on a particular word for the year.

When Edie and The Nester announced they had picked {UN} words for the year and invited everyone else to join in, I had no idea what in the world my word would be.  Words like "untired" and "undistracted" popped into my head over and over.  But I knew they weren't quite right.  Yes, it would be lovely to not be tired all the time, but with a 9 month old and a 3 year old that's not really feasible.  And to not be distracted would be fabulous, but with two tiny ones my attention is always divided, at the very least between the two of them.  Distracted is sort of my natural state during this season of life.

But {UN}distracted came close.  It hit a nerve with me because I feel like so much of the last year and a half I have been here physically, but when I try to think back I feel like I've missed it somehow.  Almost as if I have some sort of amnesia for the last year of my life.

I went to the library this morning and the Kiddo asked to come with.  I was about to say no, and my husband was backing me up, offering other fun things to do while I got out of the house.  But I said yes.

I had a huge stack of books to return and he enjoyed dropping them in the return drop.  Then I let him help me find my book on the hold shelf, and help me check it out using self-checkout.  When I said it was time to go he asked if he could get books for himself.

Again, I almost said no.  But I thought, eh...why not?  So we wandered over to the kids' section and he picked out 4 books to go with his stack of books we already have checked out at home.  I told him it was time to go checkout and he spotted the table with crayons and pictures to color.

You get where this is going, right?



I almost said no...then I said yes.  I realized there really was no hurry and we had an opportunity to spend time together doing something he wanted to do.  We colored for a bit.  He talked to two little girls that were also coloring, asking them their names.  Then he decided he was ready to go.  We walked to the front and he checked out his books.  He held my hand and walked to the car like a big boy.  He was well-behaved overall.  It was relatively painless.  I have a sneaking suspicion it's because I gave him the time and space to explore his surroundings.  I didn't rush him, even when I was tempted to get in and get out.  We added an extra 10 or 15 minutes to my errand, but in that time we created a memory together which we wouldn't have otherwise.

{UN}hurried.  A life {UN}hurried.  That is what I want.

I can already tell it's going to take a huge shift in the way I think and act.  I've always valued efficiency...doing a job as quickly and perfectly as possible.  I walk fast (and I drive fast).  I type fast.  I race myself to clean my house as quickly as possible.  But in life, maybe faster isn't always better?  Maybe the good comes in the journey between the bullet points of our days?

A life {UN}hurried.  Can you imagine the possibilities?

Do you have a word you want to ditch in 2014?  Please share in the comments.  :)

I'm linking up today over at Life In Grace...be sure to visit and read what {UN}word others have chosen for this year!

3 comments:

  1. I totally agree that this is a shift in mindset we have to have before we actually can slow down and appreciate the little moments. I have an 18 month old and a 4 1/2 year old, so it does seem like I'm pulled in different directions all day long. My word is Undivided, more in the vein of me focusing on my kids instead of always being distracted by social media or other projects. Glad to know that we're all not alone on this journey!

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  2. You're definitely not alone, LeeAnn! And I love Undivided. I'm so with you on that one. Thanks for reading! :)

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  3. […] Tuesday I joined 69 other bloggers in declaring my {UN}word for 2014, {UN}hurry.  I talked about how slowing down and making time and space for my family to journey through our […]

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