This past spring after taking a media training workshop that challenged me to be more present in my work, I started applying the same tools for staying present in my everyday (especially with the kids) and it has honestly changed my life and my relationships. Summertime, for obvious reasons, has brought new challenges to keeping my head, heart and body in the same place at once (ha!) but add to it the heartbreaking things happening in our country and world and a couple other changes we’re working through in our own life and being present has seemed almost impossible these last couple weeks.
In case you’ve been feeling the same way, a few of the things that have helped are:
- not worrying about how much or little I checked off my to-do list
- doing a brain-dump on paper or writing in my journal
- asking for help when I need it (4 of the kids stayed the night at their grandparents last night so I could catch up on work things)
- move my body — a quick run, walk, or jump on the trampoline is all it takes
- getting out of the house for an outing, treat, playtime or just a change of scenery
That last one always seems to do the trick, even under normal circumstances, but since I haven’t taken more than a picture (or boomerang) or two, lately I thought I would share some snaps from a quick trip we took a couple weeks ago to Fremont — a cute little neighborhood in Seattle. It’s also home to a riverside trail, lots of delicious and kid friendly restaurants, a Sunday Market you would die over, and a tourist attraction we all agreed was the strangest we had ever seen.
The Fremont troll lives under a freeway overpass, right along a busy street and a good walking distance away from anything else to do. Our quick stop was somewhat interesting and the kids had fun climbing on him, but we were so shocked to see how many tourists were there taking pictures! That being said, and you can take this with a grain of salt, if you ever plan a trip to Seattle don’t add the Troll to your itinerary. Unless of course you have a thing for trolls. :)
Fremont on the other hand is a total gem. You should definitely visit!
Troll visit aside, we had so much fun, spent most of our time scootering on the Burke-Gilman trail, stopped to watch the drawbridge open and grabbed some lemonade before heading home.
How do you guys manage to stay present while keeping up with kids, work, a home, and marriage!?
xo, Rae
P.S. — My dress is from Sonnet James who also happens to be having an end of summer sale! You guys know how much I love her dresses so wanted to make sure I pass on the info!
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