LIFE CHECK
HEY!!! i'm sorry it's been so long since i've blogged. I have no excuses.
This weekend, I reflected on my life; how blessed i am. For some reason, i was reminded of a "life check" (a moment that makes you stop and think about your life) memory of my grandma.
My babyshka (grandma, in russian) was born in 1917 and lived a very frugal & harsh life in Russia. She lived most of her life in the same apartment in a town outside of Volgograd, Russia. I remember traveling every summer to visit her. She lived on the 2nd floor with no elevator. during the cruel winter months (November- march), these stairs were extremely dangerous. She basically lived to survive the winters, barely leaving her house. She had a wood-burning water heater she had to start in order to take a shower or hand wash her clothes, sheets, towels. She also had a garden she kept.She would wake up at 5 am to water her garden and would tend to it all summer long. I'm pretty sure that harden is what motivated her every morning to get down the stairs.i remember, She had the best cucumbers & tomatoes EVER! She never went to a grocery store, she would walk to the bus station (1/4 mile) and take the bus to the local market for toiletries & meats. Then she would wait for the bus and would have to walk that quarter mile carrying everything she bought. She had 2 pots, 1 pan, 3 plates, 2 cups.
She lived a very simple life. She didn't know any different. We constantly asked her to move to America to be close to her kids & grandkids ( all live in jacksonville, florida), but she wouldn't have it. she was proud of the life she lived. she wasn't used to anyone taking care of her, she never married. deep down, she was scared for change. she didn't know what to expect.
At 90 years old, she said good-bye to everything she had & everyone she knew, got onto an airplane( for the very first time) and moved to Florida.
One of her dreams came true- she got to spend her birthday (December 29th) with her entire family (Unfortunately, I was unable to attend because i was living in California at that time). Our family took her out to a restaurant. She wasn't impressed with the restaurant or the car that drove her there. She wasn't impressed with the variety of foods that we available or the gifts that were given to her. She was impressed, to the point of tears, that she got FRESH flowers on her birthday.
You see, we tend to forget that we are pretty spoiled with everything being available to us at all times with 24 hours stores and online shopping. No one understood why she was in tears. They initially thought she was just overwhelmed. Some may still think that. due to the harsh winters in Russia, it was impossible for her to get fresh flowers for her birthday. We forget that it's actually not normal, for everyone, to have fresh fruits, vegetable, flowers during the winter months. In Russia, they still can their vegetables during fall so they can have some for the winter. Things are not easily attainable for most countries, other than america.
Because she lived so simply, she was able to easily appreciate the little things.
L I F E C H E C K
Don't get too busy to notice. I'm preaching to myself right now. I tend to get so tunnel visioned with my plans & my schedule that I don't stop to notice & feel the good emotions. You know, the emotions that make you happy cry. The emotions that make you want to happy dance. The emotions that make you want to dig into a hug for a few minutes. The emotions that take time to develop.
Due to recently traveling to NYC (blog coming soon), this Mother's Day, I wanted to do absolutely NOTHING. I wanted to just relax and hang out with my boys. You know, because we weren't on a schedule or fulfilling a to-do list, I hugged my son more than ever before and I happy cried like 10 times, I think. We were having good-ol' family time. I truly felt loved EVERY time Kai said "Happy Mother's Day, Mama". I was able to give 100% of my attention to my boys.
Being a mom, an employee and an entrepreneur, I KNOW it's not practical to do nothing every day. But I propose you schedule "uninterrupted family time" into your schedule, if you can't make it happen any other way. Be intentional about giving 100% of your attention to your spouse, your kids, your family. If you're not married, call your mom, reconnect with an old friend, meet someone new. Start with once a month if you have to. For me, family time is a priority, so we decided to have uninterrupted family time every Sunday. It will be a sacrifice because even though we do spend time together on Sundays, i still reply to emails, edit pictures, schedule photoshoots. I'm willingly sacrificing my entire Sunday to God & my family. Nothing else will be done on this day. It goes back to honoring the sabbath. This, is my way.
May you continue to rest in peace, my beautiful babyshkya. i love & miss you very much, more than words can describe. you have taught me so much and i will forever cherish the time we had together. You will forever be my one and only Babika ( what i used to call her). xoxo
