This is one of my absolute favorite pictures - taken five years ago.
It was a rare Saturday morning at home where the boys and I had nowhere to go. We were enjoying the downtime and I was relaxing in bed, reading. Jake offered to make me coffee and he went just a little overboard when he poured the creamer. I still remember the expression on his face when he came to tell me that he made a mess.
When I came out to the kitchen to assess the damage, the first thing I thought was "Wow, that would make a pretty cool picture!" I think he was surprised that I wasn't upset. That's one of the reasons this memory sticks with me; it was one of those rare times back then when the mess actually struck me as beautiful.
We laughed and I took a picture, and then we cleaned up the kitchen counter. I thoroughly enjoyed the extra sweet coffee with just a little bit too much creamer. It was a simple, calm, wonderful morning.
Now, when I have days where it feels like I just cannot take on one more thing, I try to remember how it felt that morning. Instead of seeing my life as an overflowing mess, I push myself to see things from a different perspective.
My life is filled with commitments, people that need me, problems to be solved, events and meetings to rush off to, and what seems like an endless To Do list.
There are days when I am acutely aware that just one more thing might put me over the edge. I've even been known to exclaim at the office, to no one in particular, "Please God...not one more thing today!"
Not one more project
Not one more meeting
Not one more frustrating encounter
And then there are days when I feel like I am on top of things, and one more thing comes out of the blue and catches me totally off guard.
Not one more event to fit in when I just got it all in the calendar
Not one more call from school when we thought things were on track
On those days, I look at the overwhelming mess that my life can be, and I think about that coffee creamer. How the sugary sweetness of it poured over the top of the cup and all over the counter in a beautiful pattern. I look at the "one mores" that make my life amazing and pour those on top of the ones that cause me stress.
One more hug
One more smile
One more successful project completed
One more walk with a great friend
One more girls night with wine and B-rated horror movies
One more poker game where the whole family is together
One more campfire under a starry sky
One more day to appreciate this amazing life
This has helped me in so many ways to power through the challenges in my life, so I give this advice to you:
When life is overflowing, pour the good stuff on the top. The mess it makes is that much more enjoyable to clean up!