This weekend was picture perfect. From the weather to the company, it was all around fantastic. On Saturday, I went to yoga (for the second time in a week — woo!) and then spent the day poolside with one of the Husband’s my cousins. Both of our husbands were off at a bachelor party, so we enjoyed the day to ourselves soaking up the sun.
Yesterday afternoon after lunch, a bunch of our family went over to the Husband’s aunt and uncle’s house. They have a great party house and love to entertain, so we always rush over there whenever we’re invited. We spent the day outside, next to (and in!) their pond enjoying each other and the crazy antics the boys always put on for us. Yesterday included a paddle boat that wouldn’t stay afloat with four grown men in it (go figure).
It was a blast, and we ended the day with a Mexican fiesta.
I’ve been spending less and less time on the computer lately — less time reading blogs, less time writing blog posts. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. However, I think it’s a good idea to take time to unplug and just live in the moment. When I first started blogging, it was almost an obsession. It was an all or nothing approach. Through experience, I know it’s quite silly to miss out on what is actually happening out in real life because of blogging. I’m not sure where I wanted to go with these thoughts or if they really are going anywhere — I just know I am enjoying spending time with the people I love and not worrying about anything else but being in the moment.
Have an awesome Monday — I promise I’ll finally get around to posting that recipe tomorrow!
Question: Do you struggle with living in the moment?
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
I definitely struggle with living in the moment. I am constantly thinking of what’s coming up, what I need to do…always looking for the next thing. I learned that I’m a lot less anxious when I can focus on whatever task I am doing right now. Living and blogging is a delicate balance and I agree that it’s important to live life and not be a slave to your blog. But I will always come back and read good blogs no matter how much the person posts. I appreciate that people have lives and want to live them!
I do the same thing - I’m a planner so I always want to do just that!
Good for you! Living in the moment is one of the many things I am trying to work on! I have found it helps to keep the stress away and it’s a true joy to not let all the “little” minutes of our life slip by. I try to stay unplugged on weekends
I definetly struggle with that too… I’m trying to find a good balance, but it’s really difficult sometimes to just shut down the computer and relax. Good for you that you were fully unplugged this weekend… It sounds like it was a perfect weekend full of good family and good friends!
. Enjoy your Monday!
Thanks, you too!
I agree with you about taking a break from blogging every once in awhile! It gives you more time to give something to blog about too! I love how you almost always take off the weekend though, it allows relaxation so much more when I’m not worried about writing a big post on Saturday! Looks like you had a wonderful weekend, enjoy Monday.
Oh yes, I always take weekends off! I never used to - it used to be my time to get my blog work done. But that left no time to just have fun!
I love spending time by the water! Glad you had a fun weekend!
That sounds like an awesome weekend Chels! The weekends where you step away from the computer and just spend time with people are always the best ones. It can be hard to do that though when you feel like you have an “obligation” to blog. I’ve definitely struggled with that!
If you’re going to step back and take time away from the computer, I think summer is the best time to do it. Enjoy!
my new year’s resolution was simply to “be present.” i still struggle with it, but God is working on me daily!!
Love it!
I think it is so important to unplug and live life! I was obsessed with blogging when I first started and was posting three times a day. Then two times a day.. then once.. and now I don’t even post every day. I honestly do not know HOW I managed to make time to post 3 times a day. Oh right.. I didn’t have a life outside of the blog. That is no way to live! Now I blog when I have time.. and am much happier.
hahaha I think everyone goes through that!
I think it is natural to want to step back from the computer and spend more time cultivating the relationships in your life. Summer is the perfect time to do that! We’ll be here when you are!
Thanks Maureen!
Blogs usually get better - not worse - when the writer takes some time for themselves too. It’s great for you to step back and enjoy your life! I try to remind myself that when I’m old, I won’t want to look back and tell stories of all the time I spent blogging…but that I’ll want plenty of real shenanigans to think back to!
I agree 100%!
Live in that moment, girlie! It’s an amazing life! ….I’m getting better at it too!
I do, and it was goal of mine this summer! Thanks for the reminder
I agree with living in the moment. Blogging is awesome and I love it, but sometimes life just gets in the way!
And we should just go with it!!
I know exactly how you feel. It definitely happens to me too and sometimes results in a complete break with no posting and no reading. Something in the middle with a more balanced approach would probably be the best option but I swing way too easily into either the all or nothing end of the spectrum! Glad you’re enjoying some time off lately.
haha I’m an all or nothing kind of person sometimes too - I feel ya!
living in the moment is something i’ve actually really been working on lately… i find myself constantly thinking about what’s next or what i need to get done (type A much?!) rather than just enjoying what i’m doing right then and there. i’ve been better with it the last couple months, but i still need to snap myself out of it sometimes. i tried the whole blogging twice a day thing, and then once a day every day, and now it’s 6 days/week… i don’t know how i ever did twice a day! as much as i love the blogging community, i know i need to make sure i unplug regularly too. great post my friend! and cute suit!
You’re doing great on the living in the moment thing and finding balance - I’m proud of you! And thanks, it’s from Victoria’s Secret!
Thanks for the reminder, Chelsey! You’re the first blog I read today, and I’m going to get off the computer now.
Haha.
Since moving back to DC I’ve struggled to live in the moment (wedding planning doesn’t help either). When I lived in Vermont and in Texas it was so easy to live in the moment. I do try to be more like that here in DC.
Oh wedding planning intensifies EVERYTHING! I definitely remember those day! Good luck!
I have the same problem with being attached to blogging and reading blogs. I’ve gotten better though, especially on the weekend. If I just don’t have time to write a post, then I don’t! I’ve started doing no post on either Saturday or Sunday and it’s nice to not worry about it!
I think over time you’ll get better and better!
I don’t have that problem when it comes to blogging (I’m a crappy blogger haha), but I do have a problem living in the moment when it comes to other things like food and fitness. I’ll find myself having negative thoughts about eating a slice of cake or skipping a workout to hang out with family/friends. Um, there is nothing negative about cake, family, or friends! Just have to keep reminding myself!
haha there’s no such thing as a crappy blogger! That’s the way it should be! I agree about the slice of cake/skipping a workout thing. There’s always time for workouts! And, skipping one/eating a piece of cake isn’t going to make you blow up.
There is no better time than the summer to unplug. I’m going on a beach vacation for a week at the end of the month- no laptops allowed! It gets so much harder in this day and age to really disconnect from technology, since so many people have computer access on their phones now!
I am going to do the same thing when we go on vacation at the end of the summer!
Love this post, Chelsey! I think so many of us can relate to this. It’s awesome that you’re doing more “living in the moment.” Unplugging yourself is sooo necessary sometimes. You have to do what’s best for you, girlfrand! When I first started blogging, I was obsessed too…about posting every day, etc. Now, I try to let it be more natural. If a day goes by when I don’t post, it’s not the end of the world!
100% agreee!
I defintely don’t struggle living in the moment, my struggle is forgetting to capture the moment to share via the blog! I always forget to take pictures!
Oh I do that too. Yesterday I was more taking pictures for my family and their craziness.
I’m glad you’re living in the moment! Unplugging from the computer and technology is definitely needed once in a while! Living life is much more worth it!
Living in the moment is so much easier said than done. Still, Summer vacation is the perfect time to start.
So happy to hear you are savoring and embracing real life and stepping back a little bit. That’s awesome for you and glad you’re had a few epiphanies and realizations about it all
Love it! That’s why I never bother with writing posts over the weekend. My blog is a hobby, but living a happy, engaged life is my biggest priority. I can’t pretend that I’m living in the moment when I’m like “Oh hey, pose for this picture for my blog!” or “Oh wait, let me snap a picture of my Saturday lunch.” It’s not right for me, and I can’t handle that. Good for you, Chels!
haha yeah, no I can’t do that - especially since the Husband HATES taking pictures. So if he knows it’s for the blog, he turns away.
I love that you’re taking time to live in the moment. When the weather gets nice I try and do just that. Crummy days make me just want to hole up with a good book or time online getting my mind off of the weather. And I think the thunderstorms have finally quit for now!
Oh I completely agree - everyone needs some days to relax! Which is kind of what I’ve done this afternoon/evening! lol
I go back and forth with this - sometimes I am really good at it and other times I feel like I am so worried about the future that I forget to enjoy the present. But summer is a great season for reminding us to take it all in - long days, lots of time outside, people wanting to socialize. it’s my fav time of year!
I just have to comment because I love your name. Although I’m sure you get that a lot!
I don’t struggle as much as I used to now that I practice and teach yoga. I don’t do it as much as I should, but I’m better at reminding myself that this moment, right now, is the only one that really counts.
Check out the “mindfulness bell” app for android phones (or I’m sure there’s something similar for an iphone). It’s a bell that rings randomly each hour (you can set the times and the frequency) and is an opportunity to pause for a moment, breathe, and notice both what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
Here’s a link to the app.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.googlecode.mindbell&hl=en
Today is my first day of summer vacation (I teach high school English), so I’m living in every single moment of this day!!
That’s so cool! Thanks!
I feel the same way about blogging lately. I just write a post when I want/can and read other blogs when I have time. Seems to be working great.
Looks like you had a great weekend
Somehow having kids actually helped me live more in the moment. I am such a huge planner and organizer but kids have their own plans that make yours not happen!
Oh I’d have to agree with that! Especially because you have to be so present when kiddos are around. They are so smart! The other day when I was babysitting, one of the little boys was telling me a story and I was all “uh huh, yeah… oh that’s cool” And he goes - “Miss Chelsey, are you even listening to me!?!??!” It was hiarious.
Your weekend looks wonderful, and the pond is amazing!
Enjoy your time unplugged. I think when you have the summer off, you should unplug and let yourself totally unwind!
I do like to stay ahead and plan, but I’m really good at unplugging. So in some ways I live in the moment and others I don’t at all! Something I should work on this summer…
For me, living in the moment is, indeed, sticking to an obsessive compulsive schedule. So no, I do not struggle with it. Glad that you had a fantastic weekend.
I struggle with this to, quite often, actually. Recently I’ve found myself being so “busy” that I’m not spending time in the Word like I usually do. I’m trying to change things around this week!
I’ve actually been spending more time in it! Have you downloaded the Bible app? There are a bunch of devotional plans you can download and you can set reminders to read. It’s awesome.
That is awesome, Chelsey! I don’t have a smart phone, so I can’t use apps. :/ Do you think I can find the devotional plans another way, other than a smartphone? Thank you for your suggestion … I really appreciate it!
I used to be an all or nothing person, but I’m happy to report I’ve been getting better over the years. It’s so nice to not become so obsessive per one activity and enjoy ping with the flow. Of course, Hailey has certainly forced me to have to do so
Your weekend looks like so much fun! I live a good fiesta
Yes, children can do that to a person!
Thank you for posting this Chelsey! It really put things into perspectives for me. I am a new blogger, and I have been spending so so so much time on the computer trying to figure out all the logistics and getting things set up, reading other blogs, writing my own, taking pictures, etc…that I have lost sight of why I decided to start this in the first place. It def wasn’t to stress myself out! Or to take away time I spend with my family! I need to just take it one at a time and not miss out on…well, life!
One of the best things someone told me when I first started blogging was “blog what you live, don’t live to blog”!
Chelsea hi, I’ve been a long time reader of your blog. Living in the moment is a huge skill and all recent posts point to you finding a great blance in life. Well done. I am also trying to find my balance hop on over it you fancy a read so I am less of a stalker and you will know a little about me to! X
ooh that looks mega fun! I will confess I am much better at living in the moment when I’m doing something FUN, outside in the sunshine haha. But yes I try every day to get to that place!
I’m often reminding myself to live in the moment. Even at Yoga I have a hard time doing this!
You and me both! I always am thinking of something else.
I have exactly 0 pictures from my AMAZING weekend…I was too busy living in the moment! Its something I have to consciously work on but I love living mindfully so I do it as often as I am able.
I try my best but I definitely struggle with living in the moment sometimes… I’m a chronic over planner and I think that has a lot to do with it.
I have to admit, I have been reading a ton of blogs lately Chelsey and last night I just felt very overwhelmed with everything. On Saturday, we had to put my dog down and when I was feeling overwhelmed last night I thought “what would make me feel better?” And I knew what to do… I shut my computer off and asked my Mom if she wanted to paint each others’ nails. I lived in the moment and it was so much better than anything else.
I have been trying to live in the moment more too. When I started blogging it was all consuming and I stressed about it all the time. Now I do it when I can and try to make it something fun on the side! Although, I do miss keeping up with all my favorite bloggers and writing my posts. Once I have more time I hope to get back too it.
We’ll still be here!!! Have fun!! Living makes blogging more fun…in the end. All work and no play :: All blog and no life makes…
you know what I mean.
So happy hubby had been remembering his Swim trunks this year. *wink*
I agree! It’s so nice to just take a break and live life sometimes!