Simplifying

(Wild sunflowers up the canyon by our house)

I had a bunch of ladies at my house last night, and one friend talked with a few of us at the end of the evening about how overwhelmed she is feeling right now.

I suppose we all feel that way, at different times, and in different ways.

Lately, for me, it has been in a series of days -- and ways -- where I have felt like a mom fail.

Sometimes that can turn into a domino effect -- suddenly I am bugged by everything and flustered and start feeling overwhelmed.  It becomes difficult to see where I may be succeeding -- small ways tho they may be, easy to feel bogged down.

The other night I was running and listening to this talk, and I have thought since about a little thing he mentions.  He says: 

"...it wasn't long after astronauts and cosmonauts orbited the earth that they realized ballpoint pens would not work in space.  And so some very smart people went to work solving the problem.  It took thousands of hours and millions of dollars, but in the end, they developed a pen that could write anywhere, in any temperature, and on nearly any surface.  But how did the astronauts and cosmonauts get along until the problem was solved?  They simply used a pencil."

I guess what I've been wondering is how I might be over-complicating things.

What am I demanding that I could let go of?  

What is my ultimate goal?  

What do I want my children to feel?  To remember?  To know?

How about the other people in my life too?

How can I "simply use a pencil" -- slow down, focus on what is closest to my heart, and let the rest go to the wind?

I don't have all the answers yet, but it has been good food for thought.