family
Living is a Verb by Lisa Allen
Living on love.
I've always wished that actually could be done. But, as a single mom raising three kids, the bills that arrive every month and the impending doom otherwise known as 'college room and board' constantly remind me that it takes a whole lot more than love to live this life I've created.
I usually spend my days accordingly; reminding kids to not disturb me because I'm working. Excusing myself from dinner early so I can get back to my to-do list. Opting to not do something fun or different on the weekend because I 'need to work'.
This weekend I piled the kids in the car and drove 3 hours each way so that my oldest could attend a 2 hour meet and greet. I wanted him to have a jump start on knowing the kids he'll spend the next 2 years with in a dorm room 4 hours away from me. This imposed hiatus from my work corner, my desktop and my normal weekly routine forced me to do something other than work.
I hung out with my two younger kiddos; we ate ice cream, wandered second hand stores and 'adventured' (what my daughter called it because I just drove without a destination in mind and we stopped whenever we saw something we thought might be worth investigating). We tried donuts with fruity pebbles as a topping and giggled at silly signs in roadside bathrooms. We exhaled.
And I had lots of what I call 'wide open space' time. Time with nothing to do but drive and think. Watching the sunset, being surrounded by the giggles of the three loves of my life, and finally realizing that I had things backwards, and that somewhere along the way I lost the realization that work and money have everything to do with survival and very little to do with love.
The love comes from living. Living is a verb; it won't just happen, but it's mine to make.
Lisa blogs at Back to Allen.
