Still trying to keep it all together

I'm still trying to keep all of this together. I have been neglectful of this blog for a while because my mind has been consumed with busy thoughts. I once went to a course on time management and was surprised to find that the first thing we learnt was that we actually have much more time in our days than we realize. The instructor said we should all take half an hour in the morning to plan out our days entire events including evening plans. This baffled me at the time. I of course didn't have family/work life balance at the time. I also had a friend that told me she would plan her dinner the night before. This too baffled me at the time. I asked myself "How in the world could you plan something like that so far in advance?" "What happened to spontaneity?" I also justified my lack of planning with the rationale that I was much more enthused by the European form of cooking and meal planning - buy what was fresh at the market. Over the last few months I have come to realize that planning doesn't take out the spontaneity. Planning doesn't make us boring and without creativity. Planning my day has now become a mini game plan. I seek the little goals to feel like I have completed a small step towards the big ones. What has this all to do with my delinquent blogging. Well, it's the mindset that I have nothing big to say therefore I will keep quiet and wait for some truly remarkable moment or event and post that. Life shouldn't be about the big moments. It should be about the small accomplishments. I'm not saying I'm going to post every time I finish my laundry (although that is quite the monumentous accomplishment with three boys in the house) I would like to say that this is a gentle reminder to us all here in this blog that our entries are the conversations we might have had over dinner. That we shouldn't forget the everyday communication as part of our lives. We are so spread apart we shouldn't dismiss attempts to be together if only for a moment in cyberspace.
Perhaps a reminder from our good friend Cat Stevens is due to us all:

Cat Stevens - Cats In The Cradle
A child arrived just the other day, came to the world in the usual way,
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay, he learned to walk while I was away
He was talking before I knew it and as he grew he said I'm going to be like you Dad, you know I'm going to be like you.

And the cat's in the cradle, and the silver spoon, Little Boy Blue, and the Man in the Moon,
When you coming home son, I don't know when
We'll get together then, you know we'll have a good time then.

My son turned 10 just the other day,
Said thanks for the ball now c'mon let's play
Will you teach me to throw,
I said not today, I've got a lot to do, he said that's ok
And he walked away and he smiled and he said
You know I'm going to be like you, Dad, you know I'm going to be like you.

He came from college just the other day,
so much like a man I just had to say,
I'm proud of you, won't you sit for a while
He shook his head and said with a smile,
What I'm feeling like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later can I have them please.

I've long since retired and my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I'd like to see you, if you don't mind
He said I'd love to Dad, if I could find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking you Dad,
it's been real nice talking to you.
And as I hung up the phone it occured to me
He'd grown up just like me, my boy was just like me.

Life is short guys - let's keep this family together. Let's remember that the memories we want to hold dear are the ones we have to plan, schedule, work towards making happen. It's hard - believe me I know it's hard - we can't let this slide.
So post your laundry tales, your airport comic reliefs, your train telephone debacles, your freaky artist stories. I want them all - I want to hear.

Love to all - "it's been sure nice talking to you"