Blogging takes the mundane happenings of every day life, and makes them special.
It is through sharing our stories and photos that the beauty of our lives shine. Before my blog, I was not clear on the significance of journaling and writing in our daily quest to stay sane as Moms.
Now, it is crystal clear.
The truth is, as Moms, we are crafty, resourceful, good cooks, multi-taskers, nurses, playdate organizers, party planners, therapists, chauffeurs, and the list goes on. We have a lot on our plates, and sometimes it is difficult to appreciate the little moments each day. Blogging makes it much easier for me to slow down and enjoy, because I’m paying attention to the details so that I can share them in a post.
I’m finding out there’s quite a bit of joy and beauty in the every day to record on my blog.
For example, when I wrote a post about our visit to the zoo back in April, I was so inspired by my own photos and stories from that day, that I wanted to visit the zoo again, soon. Now, I have been to the zoo plenty of times since having kids, but I had never felt the need to hurry back for a repeat visit. I felt differently this time because I slowed down to thoroughly enjoy the animals and their habitats.
While slowing down, I took photos of the sleeping lions, kooky anteaters, swimming sea lions, cool polar bears, and waddling penguins, to name a few. I captured our moment there, and recorded our memories. In the past, before my blogging days, I would wander through the zoo aimlessly, glancing at the animals, and maybe taking a snapshot of my three kids standing by a marble lion. And, that was it. I was never really present in that moment.
Now, when I go to the zoo, I get into the cages of the animals with my zoom lens and capture their personalities, look them in their eyes, watch their movements, and click my camera at just the right time. The right time could be a lion’s yawn, the first moment the anteater finally emerges from his very long nap, or the moment the bengal tiger stands up and shows off his glorious orange and black fur, while taking a big tiger stretch. Thoroughly enjoying and being in the moment, is when you will notice the beauty of the life that surrounds us. Knowing that I will record my outing through writing and photography motivates me to notice more.
Cooking is another every day event that offers many beautiful details.
Food is gorgeous. I am not an expert photographer by any means, but I have never seen my meals and desserts look so appetizing since I started recording their beauty through photos on my blog. I mean, seriously, I have made my great Grandmother’s recipe for Rocky Road Brownies a hundred times, but did I ever stop to snap a photo of this decadent delight that’s been in the family for 60+ years? No.
I’m finding out now that I should have slowed down a long time ago to capture the beauty of this dessert. The layers of chocolate brownie, marshmallows, walnuts, and milk chocolate topping are tantalizing when seen up close with my zoom lens. I also didn’t know my tamale pie recipe was so pretty, or that peanut butter cookies could look like a work of art when photographed right out of the oven.
You can even find beauty and humor during run ins with your kids, if you take the time to reflect on them. Hectic school mornings are a mainstay in most Mom’s lives. Who knew that by sitting down and writing about a particularly unruly “getting ready for school” morning that I could feel better almost immediately?
After a particularly hectic morning, my feathers were ruffled and I was not a happy camper after finally getting my third child off to school on this nutty morning. When I sat down at my laptop to discuss how messy the morning routine turned out to be, I was chuckling out loud to myself. This was just a few minutes after the morning routine ended. Quick recovery, I’d say.
Before blogging, I would have been set on a low simmer of anger all day due to the horrendous morning. However, by writing my post, my spirits were not only uplifted, but I was cured of the anger bubble forming in the pit of my stomach. The cure was simply writing about the morning. In my writing, I recounted what my three little ones said and did that morning that made it so messy. By writing about my kids and the roles they each played in my hectic morning, the personalities of each of my little ones shined through, and I smiled. Yes, there can be beauty even in times when your storage tank is running empty on patience.
I’m so glad I found a place to maintain my sense of humor on this roller coaster ride of Motherhood. That place is my blog.