Project 365 Woes

So it's only January and I almost gave up already! Sad, huh?

But I'm back. And I decided to combine a couple of projects that I hope to complete in 2015.

I've been reading Ann Voskamp's "1,000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are." Keeping a list of 1,000 things she was thankful for, from sheets flapping in the wind to suds in the sink to her husband and family, changed her life. It brought her out of her self absorption and into a life of gratefulness and being truly present in every moment. I need some of that!

The other day I sent my daughter to school with an empty lunchbox. Now that is a woman who is too distracted. We had talked about the lunch menu and the fact that she wanted to bring her own lunch instead of eating what the cafeteria was serving. That is where my memory ends. Did we never take her lunchbox out of her book bag from the day before? Did I actually put it in there empty? How could I not notice its weightlessness?

Because my mind is constantly racing to the next thing on our schedule, or to-do list, I often zoom through life and miss what's going on right in front of me. I believe that's what happened that day. I had a very busy weekend coming up, with some technical issues I needed to find answers for. I'm sure my mind was consumed with those things rather than being free to focus on my daughter and her need for a tasty, nutritious lunch!

We have laughed about my absent-minded mistake, and it is pretty funny, but it also disturbs me. I need to "live fully right where I am," not an hour ahead or behind.

So, after almost giving up on my Project 365, I'm picking up my camera again, and I'm looking for all the things I'm grateful for!