Stop and smell the roses

As the mother of two small humans, I am pretty used to sleepless nights. But as they get older and the nights become less frequent, when they do come around, they seem to hit you twice as hard.

Well today is one of those days.

I don’t remember much of what happened between 11pm and 6am, but when I woke up I was wedged between both of them in bed with me.

Knowing you never wake a sleeping child (unless it’s late afternoon after a road trip of course), I was hesitant to move to get the day started with all the layers of getting little people out the door in time for school. So I lay motionless until one began to stir.

After getting home from school drop off, I had loaded myself up with coffee and should have begun the first of my daily business plan, but I could not find the mojo for anything.

So I relinquished control and sat up in bed for a 20-minute meditation.

Something that has been a daily practice for years to boost my energy, clear the clutter of my mind and be a present human depending on my life role for that day.

A few calls, a few meetings and about 100 emails churned out and I had hit the wall.

Today instead of continuing to plough through the mental grind and conversation to try and check out of the day, I decided to head outside into the garden and get amongst the joy that it is.

Now, much to my mother’s dismay I am NOT a keen gardener.

But I do love being in the garden, picking and eating the things that my mum has been giving lots of TLC to for many years.

After sliding into my Hunter boots, I ventured forth with my basket and secateurs in hand hoping to find some blossoms after the drizzle of rain we have had.

First stop was the chook house. Knowing that I had promised my son a banana bread for afternoon tea, I was grateful to the lovely ladies for giving up two of their daily creations. The ladies continued to follow me through the garden, I’m sure secretly hoping that the basket that I had would gather things that they may also love to have a munch on.

The pears were really the only thing in the orchard that were ready for picking, with the figs, apples and peaches verging on something desirable, but not quite.

And then across to my favourite corner of the garden… the roses.

There are so many wonderful arrays of different roses that have been planted and added to this gorgeous garden after it was planted in memory of a little girl who passed away at the house in a bike accident many years before we bought it. Her presence certainly lives on in our home and we are reminded of her through the gifts that this very special garden gives us each week.

So now with a basket of eggs, pears and roses I return to the house to craft something magical to pop in my office to be the reminder for the week ahead to not only stop and smell the roses but get out there and enjoy them even more.

Life is too short to spend grinding hours, and what I do know that the universe has shared with me consistently over the last few years is when you do stop and take a breath, it allows all the goodness you have crafted to come back to you in a more meaningful way.

What will you do today to nourish your mind with an outdoor adventure?

SUPPLIED Catherine van der Meulen with her chooks at her Seddon property.