By Casey Hoskins
It’s time for a picnic. Not a food truck, not a bbq, just a picnic. There is something so simple and light about packing up some leftovers or pb&js and sprawling on a blanket enjoying the afternoon. When was the last time you sat and watched the clouds, picking out funny shapes or just enjoyed the sunshine, warm on your face? I can hear the pushback you are trying to give as you read this, but I encourage you to ease the adult mind, ease the worry and just let the memory of your favorite picnic be front and center for just a moment.
Every day, or just about, I go out and sit on my stoop at the backdoor. It is the best place to feel the sunshine without any of the wind that always seems to be blowing out here. I watch the leaves in the trees, see if I can spot a bird singing, or just close my eyes and let the sun re-energize me. It is the closest I’ve gotten to a picnic in ages but I enjoy it thoroughly. This year has been all about change and challenges and I have found I need to take that moment to just be.
I will be the first to raise my hand and admit that I am a control enthusiast (as I heard it said recently). The house, the yard, the shop, the hair, the checkbook, the husband, the kids, the -insert your thing here-, they all have to be just-so. This need to control my environment is systematically replaced with that feeling I get when I sit on my stoop and soak in the sun. I am learning to let go of a few things. Recently my husband stated that I was always mad at him. I opened my mouth to fire back but before I could I realized that he may be right so I left the conversation (argument) to figure out why I thought that. Over the years my husband has had to take jobs out of state to make enough to support our family while I was out with our son. This meant that I was the one doing most of the raising, the cleaning, the cooking, and all the other things that came with having a family. In doing so, I taught our kids to do things my way. That is no longer the case, and the one person I couldn’t teach how to do things my way is now my constant companion. It was time for a mental shift. I am happy to report that since that epiphany we have argued considerably less and I am learning that a sink full of dirty dishes always gets done…eventually.
There have been daily challenges to be met, weekly and even monthly but I find that I am prevailing. So far it has required not only a mental shift, but a few changes to my routine and a considerable amount of faith. For me it has become necessary to sit with my Bible daily (ok…almost daily), journal through my worries, and to adopt a slightly new routine that involves making my bed every morning. I know that may sound trivial but it makes me happy to see a nicely-made bed and that feeling is important. I also have to remind myself, daily, that I have a 100% success rate in getting from one day to the next, which I bet you do too. So, take a break from the daily stresses and go on a picnic, even if it is just taking a moment to sit in the memory of one.
