I’ve been thinking of expansion during this time of seemingly a shrinking existence in our apartments, houses and yards. We are so free to roam about the country that our time in tight quarters with all our family home all the time, hungry all the time, making messes all the time, watching TV all the time…….whew…..it just seems like the walls are closing in.
But what if we thought of this time as a time of expansion? As I was hiking a desert mountain trail I was sucking wind bad…..so I just kept saying to myself, expand your lungs with deep breaths…..get through this next incline. Now I am truly thankful for living in a rural area, so I understand so many of you can’t get out like that! But I watched a guy in England who ran a marathon in his backyard 20 feet at a time! It was his 32nd birthday and wanted to make an impact. He raised $22,000 for the local health care system. That is the definition of where there’s a will there’s a way! He expanded his idea of what running a marathon should look like!
What if we expanded our thoughts of food? For some of us cooking three meals a day was the norm. You all are amazing…….that’s a lot of dishes and time! But now many of us are faced with cooking all our meals each day. Boy that is getting a little hard to figure out the menu everyday. Add to that the challenge of what you bought at the grocery store a week ago because they might not have had much or you are going only on a “have to” basis. I love the optimism of a chef I follow on social media, Eduardo Garcia, Co-Founder/Chef, Montana Mex. http://www.montanamex.com He is young man who lost his arm in an electrical accident in the mountains of Montana. But his first and greatest love was cooking. You can find his story on Amazon Prime called “Charged.” Here is what he says, “I’ve always believed that food should be the focal point! The meals we dream up and create at home in our kitchen should be celebrated.” So take the challenge and expand your thoughts on what a meal should look like at your table and celebrate!
What if we expanded our thoughts on education? Many of you have already swam in the waters of online education. That’s as foreign to me as the top of Mount Everest! So as you spend your time each day with your kids navigating their new norm in front of your computer what if you took their education to a different level? Now is the time to expand their knowledge of the arts and culture. Learn by doing is still my go to method. Maybe we teach math by measuring our ingredients for cookie dough. We can learn science by finding out exactly what species of bird that is on our back porch or what kind of ant is that on the sidewalk and what does their colony look? What is the difference between the Post-Impressionism art and Northern Renaissance art era and who were the famous painters of those times? Maybe you’re like me and always wanted to learn to watercolor, so you order a watercolor kit and watch YouTube to explore the techniques! Expand your thoughts on education by doing!
So you see there is a never ending list and no lack of inspiration on how to expand you and your family’s life during this time of COVID -19 quarantine. So take the challenge and dream a little outside your four walls!
Stay well and choose a lifestyle of joy!
Blessings,
Carrie
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