Inhale. Exhale.

Photo by whitneyinchicago

Just breathe.

Tonight I am late getting this blog post up. Usually by now, I am curled up in bed--somewhere between here and far away--but not tonight. (And actually, that's not entirely true. Usually by now, I am up scrubbing dishes or filling lunch boxes or dancing to some who-knows-who singer on the radio. But anyway.)

Tonight I am late getting this blog post up because I spent time with my family. Huddled around the dining room table playing games and munching on carrot sticks, hours passed before we realized what time it was. We laughed, (sometimes at each other), we competed, (sometimes we lost), and we forgot about the numerous responsibilities awaiting us once the game was tucked back into the game closet.

And for now, I do not feel guilty about that.

Tonight, I will wait to put the dishes back into the cupboards. Tonight, I will bypass the tremendous need I have to feel like I've never quite done enough. Because tonight I spent time with those I love. And though I am a strong advocate of my home, I am a stronger advocate of my family.

Tonight, I practiced what I preach. I kept it simple.