Finding quietness

Returning from a quick skip out of town today I was once again reminded (as I always am when I'm on a trip) how nice it is to come home. And wow, do I feel old writing that because I distinctly remember my own mother saying that while I sat in the back seat not really old enough to care. I crave the change of scenery and change of pace that comes with car trips, but the older I get the more I realize I am right where I want to be if I just stay here.

I've been really trying to focus lately on finding peace in the moment in which I am living. This has not always been an easy task for me- especially when the kids are screaming and yelling in the backseat well into hour four of the return trip- and I've completely run out of options to entertain while once again they're bawling for the pencil/bear/book/water bottle that just got tossed to the floor for the seven hundredth time. Well, quite honestly at those points I just revert to a nice extreme noise-reducing pair of earplugs to regain sanity while chaos richocets around me in the form of soft, gentle little thuds and wordless, distant chatter.

But I'm learning. I'm learning to really concentrate on breathing and consciously relaxing because I'm tired of feeling tense. I'm tired of waiting for the next minute to come as I can often (and yes, reluctantly) find myself doing. So I'm pulling myself back to right now. Being still, thinking slowly, feeling quieter (without the aid of earplugs). Tomorrow comes and goes too fast, leaving dusty reminders of what it was, yesterday can often be remembered yet never relived, but today is the moment in which we create the life we want to be living.

That's not to say I'm not looking forward to things (like the upcoming end of the school year or warmer weather), but I'm just trying to pay attention to the scenery on the way there. It's easy to say, it's probably over said, but it still deserves repeating: slow down enough to enjoy the journey.