Life is about Tonight
What a great evening. Tonight we went out with friends and family that are friends. It was a wonderful time to relax and let loose for a little while.
We ate at this local chain called Wings, Etc. and I ordered 16 wings with three different sauces of varying heat levels. It was a fun time to laugh, joke around, and get throughly confused by the toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom.
When we had left I felt lighter. It was a nice feeling. Just as we were about to get on the highway to come home from a neighboring town I asked Nick to keep driving to my favorite flower stand. Thankfully since he is so sweet, he happily obliged. This sweet farm stand is on the path between our house and our lake cottage. I stop there often going either direction for a quick bouquet of what is in season. I love how the Lord has fall-looking blooms in the amasses right now. Muted jewel tones getting ready for the autumn months were in full supply. With cockscomb, eucalyptus, and sunflowers, I was in love.
The weather was cool and poignant…like it is dipping low enough to make a point in showing us that it is almost fall.
While I am fully aware that it is not yet fall the cool evening temperatures have been reminding me of cozy nights in the past and bringing me excitement about the cozy nights to come.
I haven’t gone full-fledge fall decor yet, but I have been dragging out a few pieces here and there to add warmth and ambience to the cool evenings. It always makes everything feel more like home when you can be comforted by the flickering of a nearby candle.
Life has been so busy lately. Between work and homeschooling, house responsibilities and having a side business, things feel rushed. Too busy is the name of the game most days and I can quickly feel overwhelm and anxiousness becoming the currency of my emotions.
So tonight I carved out time, carefully, slowly, intentionally, to sit and relax and process my thoughts. I can feel the tension in my temples starting to melt away like the outer layer of a succulent roast. Drip, drip, drip the anxiety and stress melts away. I am sitting in our formal living room facing the fireplace, with a fall candle on the mantel next to a painting I pull out for fall. It’s of Duke of Glouchester Street in Williamsburg during the fall. The site of the cobblestone streets brings me back to that very place, remembering our time slowly riding down that avenue in a horse drawn carriage. The sight of the stairs leading into the storefront brings to my mind the scent of clean soap and ginger cookies fresh from the oven. Scents that are comforting and calming. It’s amazing the emotions that a painting can bring.
On my right sits my sewing in my sewing box. Perhaps I will choose a project to continue on when I am finished writing this down. To my left sits my pride and joy, my navy blue fairy lamp Nick brought back from a business trip for me. It was the sweetest gesture and looking at it reminds me of how thoughtful it was.
This moment. This right here. This is what life is about. Not the rush, not the jobs that must be completed. These moments that slow the pace down and dial the clock back to a simpler time, these are what life is all about.
Tomorrow I have a big work meeting out of town. I have a large list of things that will be waiting for me to do when I get home in the evening. But all of that can wait until tomorrow. Tonight is for relaxing. Tonight is for savoring. Tonight is for this.
