Guest Post: Adventures

(Today, we have a guest post from Tara, a stay-at-home mom and Air Force pilot's wife.  As I read her post, I was reminded of a quote from Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, "What will a life magnify?  The world's stress cracks, the grubbiness of a day, all that is wholly wrong and terribly busted?  Or God?"  Tara encourages us to "count the blessings," LIVE the blessings and embark on an adventure!  -Desiré)

Another day was over.  I made it through...a small victory.  

I read book after book, post after post about the importance of savoring each moment.  It’s always packaged differently: carpe diem, counting my gifts, or being present.  But I end each day feeling guilty because I didn’t savor much at all.  Though my to-do list claims I folded laundry, made beds and meals, dusted and cleaned bathrooms, I still feel empty and unsatisfied.  

There has to be more to motherhood than this.  Seriously.  

Upon reflecting on the new, fresh, clean year, I decided it would be different.  My husband’s unpredictable schedule leaves my boy and I with plenty of free time and I wanted to really use the moments.  Carpe diem, count my gifts, savor each moment.  In comes the adventure.  

My plan is to set out on an adventure every day.  We live in a small town in the desert--there are no museums or nature centers and 50% of the time, it’s too windy to be outside.  So adventure means something a little different.  For us, it simply means something special--and more often times than not, something that takes more to prepare for than to complete.  Some days it’s just an ordinary occurrence repackaged and perceived differently.  We go on a walk in a new neighborhood, sit outside for a snack, head to a bookstore to look at books, or go to a new place for lunch.  

Still my inner efficiency battles against my desire to just live.  I’m not good at this yet.   So I push through the hard times, which most times is just deciding to do something.  I want a rich life, to cherish my family.  Each moment has been lovingly and graciously given--why not make it an adventure?  

Tara is mama of E and wife of an Air Force pilot.  She blogs her adventures at whitesparrow.wordpress.com and is a contributor for the Manthano Academy blog.

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