Month: May 2024

Unconditional

On By journeyofenough2 Comments

It’s graduation season, and while I have one more year until my last graduation, I will soon have an 18 year old. For 18 years, we try to control what goes on for our kids. Part of it is due to wanting to keep them safe & healthy. Part of it is trying to steer them in the “right” direction or at least away from harm. Once they graduate, they are often on their own, testing the boundaries themselves. Often times, the kids who had the most controlling parents are the ones who go wild in college. They don’t know how to handle the freedom and autonomy & they try to make up for things they missed in high school.

I was the most wild of the three girls, but I never smoked and was never arrested. I think the only vehicle accident I was in involved a deer. My boys have already both been in car accidents, for various reasons. Accidents happen. We can’t prepare for everything. Our oldest has had his fair share of near death experiences, but hadn’t broken any bones. The youngest broke his leg skiing, but was thankfully ok otherwise. Unconditional love means they will call you when they are in crisis, knowing that you won’t yell but will help them navigate the next steps.

We aren’t perfect parents. What we do though, is love our kids unconditionally. I hope they always know that. I hope they know they are always loved and welcomed regardless of the twists and turns their lives take. (I know there are cases where it is necessary to cut ties due to safety reasons, but hopefully that won’t happen with them.) Many parents kick their kids out at 18 and don’t want them to come back. While I know that they need to learn things on their own, I also know that college, housing and other expenses are way more than when I was 18.

They will likely take very different paths, and that’s ok. They are unique individuals, not carbon copies of us (although some characteristics are unmistakable.) It’s exciting to see where life will take them. I’m happy for the graduates this year and I’m looking forward to next year. Having a senior again will bring another roller coaster of emotions. One thing will remain constant… unconditional love.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. May you experience unconditional love in your lifetime, either as the giver, recipient or both.

Hummingbird wisdom

On By journeyofenough1 Comment

With warmer days and summer just around the corner, the hummingbird feeder came out of the garage. I make my own food for them with 1c water and 1/4c sugar. I put it up after I returned home from a work trip and it only took less than 24 hrs for them to find it. We always see hummingbirds zooming around, and it seems like they don’t stop. Their wings beat at 50-80 times per second while hovering and up to 200 times per second while in flight. (According to Google)

A flock of hummingbirds can be referred to as a bouquet, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer, or a tune. I don’t think I’ve seen a flock of them, but we usually have 2-6 each summer. They even flew to the feeder in the rain.

They do pause. They don’t stop for long, and it seems like they only do it if they feel comfortable/not threatened. They will sit at this feeder and rest. When we had a big cedar shrub near our picture window, I would also see one resting on a branch, tucked back away from the edge. I started a new job on May 1st and I went head first, hummingbird speed into my new position. Trying to soak up the new terms, contact names, locations, products and supply chains has my head spinning a bit. I need to take the hummingbird advice and pause, even for a bit. With evening meetings, I’m trying to be conscious of my time and I’ve been scheduling a pause. It may seem silly but it’s not say to get wrapped up in hummingbird speed and lose track of time. I also need to take time for writing again. It’s helpful in many ways and it’s a tool I use for making me feel more grounded (and productive.)

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. This is your reminder to pause. Oh and if you love the window mounted feeder, I got mine at Fleet Farm.