Little Man and I spent a lot of time outside this week. We went on two trail rides at the lake, we played in the backyard in the burbs. This morning, we went to the farm, and helped feed the cows and give them some apple treats. Little Man looked at me, saying “Me no like cows. Cows scare me!” and instead wanted to run after the barn cats.

Sunday afternoon, once we let the dog out, Little Man and I lay on the lawn and just enjoyed the gorgeous weather. He and I lay there, him giving me big, wet, sloppy kisses, and me tickling him, for about half an hour. I sat up and looked at the dog (yes, she is still with us!), and just thought “What a life.”

What is it that we always talk about the dog days of summer, a dog’s life, etc.? Dogs are truly our best friends. They often eat and live better than we do ourselves. What do they do? They love us unconditionally, sleep at the foot of the bed (or right next to it), race to the door to see us when we come in, and then they leave us. But watching Auntie Bailey as she lay there, soaking up the sun and spring air, all I could see in her was contentment.

And I realized…so many of us are not content with our lives. We are looking for the next best thing, the newest phone/car, a better partner in life, wishing our kids were more like the neighbour’s, etc. Life has become all about keeping up with the Jones-es, and such a race, that we never take the time to actually smell the roses and lay in the grass.

I’ve talked about grounding before, and as we lay on the lawn, I closed my eyes. I felt the grass under me, felt the breeze as it blew over me. I could smell the daffodils in the garden and the grass all around me. The wind blew, and with it I heard the songs of the birds nearby, there were UTVs going past on the trail, and cars on the road around the lake. It truly brought me back to center and I was at peace for a bit. Then Little Man leaned over and gave me a bunch of sloppy kisses, and the moment was over.

That peace I felt, the calmness, it truly helped me realize that this crazy, frenetic way of life that is so common for so many, this life is not what we are supposed to have. We need to be the dog and lay in the grass in the sun. We need that slower pace of life in order to truly thrive. And we need to make friends who live that life, or something similar. So, I challenge you this week. Once the snow is gone (if you’re getting this snow storm on Tuesday), and it warms up, take half an hour, remove your socks and shoes, and head out to the lawn. Lay down, close your eyes, and just immerse yourself in the sensations. Use your senses, and become one with nature all around you. I plan on doing this every day (not for half an hour, mind you. That just will not work with a toddler running around. But for 10-15 minutes I’ll be in the grass with Little Man), and I know that it will bring me back to center and calmness.

I haven’t made any progress with the garden at the lake. I did get most of my veg transplanted into larger containers this week. I’ve a few mustard plants to go, celery as well. They were just too small to move. I’ll give them another week or so to grow before putting in the solo cups. But, these little plants are taking over the kitchen!

I started some marigolds last Tuesday, and by Thursday morning most of them had germinated and were peeking over the top of the pods. By the time we got home Monday, they were all looking awesome!

In my pot for the mint, I actually have a few itty bitty mints popping up. It’s been about a month or so since I planted them, so I was giving up hope, and even put some seeds in pods in the mini greenhouse to start. I’ve got nothing in them yet, but it’s only been a week. We shall see how they look next week.

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