#AtoZChallenge | R is for Ruining our lives, but also rules for divine timing and happier parenting (Weekend Reads VI)

Two pervasive thoughts dominate my brain usually.

I don’t have time for all this! But also, I’ve been given 24 hours to figure out how to do it all – that’s a lot of time! (I also think about Michelle Gingras, Stonehenge, and Havarti cheese, but that’s for another post.)

What’s left in the middle is that time is time, there’s no time like the present, you can’t make new time, and it’s time to go. Also, I might not have time to finish this post until tonight, which is sorta like getting to the fair 10 minutes before it packs up and hits the road.

You can take this with you – three interesting reads you can imbibe while you pretend not to steal the kids’ Easter candy (parent tax is currently 13% of haul, by the way.)

I feel like I’ve let the time crunch get the best of me this #AtoZChallenge. I’m behind, worried about engagement and reading everyone else I should in the Challenge. I just need to write, then read, then repeat. And leave time for waffles.

 

photo credit: JD Hancock via photopin cc

How yoga ruins our lives

By Gregory, The Elephant Journal

I listen to classical music on my commute. I meditate daily. Is peace weakening me? There’s a difference between sweet detachment and playing \the sacrificial lamb. I am softened by my yoga/meditation/mindful experience. But it also strengthens me.

After establishing a dedicated yoga practice, some things that used to matter to me simply passed away. There is freedom in letting go of things that we were given, but perhaps never really bought into in the first place. – Gregory

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photo credit: IMG_8818 via photopin (license)

The 4 rules of divine timing

By Alexandra, of Sivana Spirit

As I’ve written in previous days, I’m pretty patient. Even with pizza. But impatience is so ingrained in our mindset that it feels native. It’s a desire to be somewhere or something other than where you are. And this grinds against the grain of everything.

As I always say, “Timing is everything and everything in time.” Trying to work against the divine timing of your life is like trying to walk against a strong headwind. But when you understand and use universal timing to your advantage, the wind is blowing from behind you, ushering you forward in the right direction. Truly, time then becomes your eternal ally. – Alexandra

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Rules for happier parents – children change when we let them

K.J., of Better Humans

K.J.’s piece resonates. I fester feelings about family gathering today. The same stories of me will surface; they’ll be the transcript of keeping me labeled and boxed. Or, will they? Just as I won’t allow my kids to be pegged this way, today is the day I fight back.

Remind your children, too, that growth and change are part of the deal. Lots of children trip and fall a lot as they get used to changing bodies. It doesn’t mean a child is clumsy, only that they have a ways to go before it all comes together. Reading becomes more pleasurable as it gets easier, along with playing music and many sports. You get taller and — boom — those dogs get smaller. – K.J.

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A to Z Challenge:

A is for Almost (and also At Last)

B is for Baggett (as in Laura, the actress, and #GirlsRock interview)

C is for Cursive, Cats, and Chinese Restaurants (Go Ask Daddy about them)

D is for Drawing the Line

E is for Every Day Gratitude

F is for Fieri, Falling in Love, and Focus (Weekend Reads IV)

G is for #GoAskDaddy: An interview with realtor Kristen Foxx

H is for Habit of Peace

I is for I Shot the Sheriff, Item Lifting and other Illegal Activity (Go Ask Daddy)

J is for Journalist, a #GirlsRock Interview with Esther Robards-Forbes

K is for Kickass Kindness (to go with #gratitudeandshit)

 L is for Low Self-Esteem, Life Sucks, and Electric Lit (Weekend Reads V)

M is for Manifest your dreams? No thanks. (Here’s why.)

N is for a new path (and why you don’t need one)

O is for old people, other police dogs and one business day (Go Ask Daddy!)

P is for Patience (and how to procure it)

Q is for quality (and other #gratitudeandshit items)