Our family rhythm for over a decade has been to whisk ourselves away from our Denver life and immerse fully into the weird, wonderful, and somewhat erratic rhythm of July in Sri Lanka with my family. This summer has been different because it is the last one our family will spend together before my oldest leaves for college. While the teens may not articulate it, I sense that on a cellular level all four of us desired to be home together, strengthening our bonds with one another before we stretch our hearts across two states (my daughter is headed to San Diego!).
Staying in Colorado in July has opened up different opportunities for adventure and fun. Since we live in this beautiful state, we have been able to entice our friends and family in the US to visit us. So many said, “hell yes!” It has felt a little like Grand Central Station with all the comings and goings, babies and diapers, cooking and feeding and lots of trips to Winter Park to play in the mountains. My girls have been able to say “hell yes” to two-week sleep away camps, being consistently employed through the summer and seeing cousins on my husband’s side who enjoy visiting when its warmer.
Sometimes, changing our habits and patterns can be just what we need. And yet, many of us resist when change feels like it is being thrust upon us. I do wonder what choices we might make, that reveal new paths and adventures if we stop resisting and allow life to flow naturally. What would happen if we paused long enough to let life’s natural rhythm in this season guide us? What new and different adventures would we say “hell yes” to? And where could this YES lead us?
I am saying YES to moving slower this summer and being intentional about what our family does together and who we spend time with. I am saying YES to any and all things that fill up our family’s bucket of energy and love. I am saying YES to all the feelings that bubble up from inside my mama heart when I think of my first baby leaving home. I am saying YES to all of it because I believe in embracing change. Even saying YES to the tough stuff is a lot less painful than pushing against it.
What are you saying YES to in this season? And what new doors have you walked through because of it? Sharing the journey with all of you enriches my life – thank you for traveling with me!
