Saturday, July 23, 2011

On Heat and Navel Gazing

Yup, it's hot enough for me. Most of me is loving it, I really seem to thrive on heat, even if it is at a slower pace. To keep cool today it required an entire pitcher of iced tea

a bowl of cherries

and many, many yellow plums.


Although I will admit that even I have a heat limit, which I think I reached yesterday. These next few days I am painting Riley's room, getting some new furniture in for him. At eight and a half, I figured it was time to update the toddler bed and the change-table-slash-set-of-mini-dresser-drawers.

As I was saying, yesterday I reached my heat limit. After spending the afternoon in Riley's room, moving out furniture (on my word that boy has hundreds of books) trying to sort through and throw out stuff that has been in there for too long, I was sweating pretty heavily. The sweat would dry then the process would start up again. And I would dry off, again. After a few rounds of this my underwear was stuck to my body like glue. We were invited to swim in a neighbour's backyard pool but I couldn't get my underwear off to get my bathing suit on. I was thinking I was going to have to cut it off my body.

Today is day two of the room painting. Four hours and one stomach bug later, the primer is up, and I am sipping this jelly jar of cool blue Hpnotiq. Even the colour is cooling.

No worries about underwear sticking to me today, having opted out of putting it on in the first place. Which brings me to my first bit of navel gazing.

Two themes have been recurring in my field of vision lately. The first is choice. How we choose to spend our time. As much as I love summer vacation and the more relaxed pace (not to mention the weather), we are half way through summer vacation and I have felt robbed of my time. I feel more demands on me, things I am hard pressed to say no to. Which has left me undone. Is this how I choose to spend my time? I see others around me in real time and blog time who seem to be freer in making choices or maybe it's a matter of having a better support system for the choices they do make. More navel gazing on this theme is needed.

The second recurring theme is boiling down, if you can, the purpose of life to relationships. A few readings have come to me suggesting that the essence of our life is relationship(s). It is, obviously, not about the bigger and better toys or the lofty goals or the path we choose to reach them or even our learning process, it is about how we gift ourselves in relationship. Which has me asking what I am bringing to my own relationships. Those closest to me suffer the brunt of my impatience, my frustrations. Am I bringing enough good stuff to those ones that are important? Perhaps another jelly jar of Hpnotiq will induce a deeper sense of reflection, or sedation.

11 comments:

Snap said...

I'll have some cherries and a glass of tea while we naval gaze together...........

Sherry said...

That hypnotiq will help in so many ways as you navel gaze (at your own and others') and reflect and come to major revelations!! But you were already there before the hynotiq!! :)

I'm laughing at the visual of your underpants stuck to your butt -- oh that brings back memories...trying to struggle out of sweaty clothing to roll on a bathing suit and it sticks in every cranky and roll...ROFL!! But hey, you got it on (I hope) and enjoyed the cool down. Going commando today makes the best sense...too hot for clothing period!

I too enjoy the heat and yet this year I'm finding I've had a few days were I've reached my limit.

As for the work you're doing in Riley's domain...it will be great and worth it but pace yourself woman!!!! xo

Kim Mailhot said...

Keep the occasional Hpnotiq in a jelly jar coming. Be easy on yourself, Beautiful One. Instead of looking at where you are lacking, look at where you shine. You are a great mom. Barking is a side effect of this life sometimes, but I know Riley gets much more of your snuggles and loving than that bark!
And if you are going to navel gaze, what about our relationship to self ? Isn't that the realest of the real relationships that our life is about ?
Oh, I don't know...pass me the blue stuff, will ya ?
Love you my beautiful friend !

Becky said...

Oh my too funny the comments lol.Loving the yellow plums never saw them in my life ha.As far as navel gazing hmmm...I dont know LOL.

Cheryl said...

Maybe it's a Virgo thing...lots going on...real need to share the jelly jar. Pace yourself.

Elisa Black said...

I personally am not a lover of the intense heat and humidity, but have managed to stay cool with the help of A/C and taking the kids to the pool club. I have never seen yellow plums before and I'm not familiar with Hypnotiq-- I'll have to google it. I am impressed that you are so ambitious and productive in revamping your sons room in this heat! I'm with you on worrying about how my irritability/depression affects my kids, but I think that as long as its mixed with love (which, from your posts, sounds like it is), children are forgiving. You are only human.

thecatalanway said...

I wish I had answers to your navel gazing questions1 Time and how to use it and what is important in life are always interesting questions to ponder, hopefully over a nice iced vermut. ( I have to admit hating iced tea - it's just not British!)
But here - where it gets pretty hot in the summer months - I don't think people would consider painting a room in July or August. Maybe one useful think we can learn from Mediterranean countries is the need to sleep and rest and do less in the summer! Siesta! or as it is called here in Catalunya - Mig Diada - which means the sleep of the middle day. Today I went to bed after lunch and slept and read for about 4 hours!!!!! Well, it is Sunday. Kate xxx

magpie said...

i'm assuming (from the name and the look of it) that hypnotiq is alcoholic? i would love a non-A drink that exact color - soooo refreshing looking. i can't imagine what the flavor is.

cannot believe you are painting at this time of year. i'd wait til snow was on the ground!

Catherine Meyers said...

Hi Bodhi Chicklet, this looks really hmmm, how to put it, colorful! Also, you have a great blog. Would you be interested in a link exchange? Let me know to send you info on my site ^^
Cathy

jennlui said...

hahaha! i love how you highlight that your son has like hundreds of books! i swore the last time i moved (exactly a year ago) that i would be staying put for a very long time because of all my books! i have hundreds as well ;) and they are a real pain to move! literally!!!

and yes choice, of how we spend our time and give of our time. also the quality of that giving... i've been thinking lately of this too. time seems to be speeding up or is it just me? i've been finding some good answers in some of my recent readings. that if we really are present in the now (not so easy though) that the quality of what we have to give is usually better, more grounded. cause we're not thinking ahead or behind... interesting...

oh yummy blue :)

bocah ingusan said...

exactly once, when the heat is really needed is ice!