The Flu, Cards, and Liebsters! Oh my!

This weekend I got hit hard by the flu. Hard. I haven't been sick in years and I quickly found out that being ill as a mom is a totally different ballgame than my pre-mama sickie days. Thank goodness I have an amazing, badass husband who took care of the little one, cooked the meals, cleaned the house, and provided general loviness and comfort. In addition to all the wonderfulness that the hubs was dishing out my mom came up and helped me with the little guy when Kellen's schedule prohibited him. (Thank you Kel. Thank you, Mom.) The last thing anybody wanted was Ezra to get the nastiness I was experiencing (super high temp, chills, sore throat, fatigue, and general craptitude), but it was so hard to stay away from him during my contagious period. Is it just me or do your kids get cuter when you know you shouldn't hug and kiss on them?

Every day I have been inching towards full health and today I was able to take a long walk in the park, work, and play with my little guy. I'm still feeling that lingering sluggishness that unfortunately comes along with the flu, but I think with another good night's rest I should be back at 100 percent.

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To brighten up my sickly weekend I received these lovely handmade cards from Lauren at Ellie Soo. How cute are they, seriously? I have been meaning to get back into letter writing with some of my dearest friends across the country and I can't wait to put these adorable little cards to use! If you haven't received a hand-written letter in the mail in some time go ahead, put yourself out there, and write one because honestly it's so much fun (and unfortunately a lost art).

Opening up the mailbox to find a loving, thoughtful letter, even if it's about nothing really, will totally make someone's day. Yes, a sweet text or a kind message on facebook is nice and all, but nothing says 'hey I took the time and effort to send you some love' like a hand-written letter.

Thank you so much, Lauren. The cards are perfect!

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And speaking of how sweet Lauren is, she also nominated me for a Liebster Award.

'Liebster' means 'favorite' or 'dearest' in German. This award, which originated in Germany, recognizes up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. 

Lauren, thank you so much. Seriously, this is such a sweet gesture. I love the community, friendships, information sharing and of course love and camaraderie that is shared in these little blogs of ours. I have learned and grown from being a part of this community and I hope to have contributed something positive to it as well. In the spirit of paying it forward I would like to nominate 5 of my favorite small blogs. Just to give a hat tip and a head nod for all the awesomeness you ladies are putting out there.

All Natural Annie
Noelle Aloud
Lea the Lion
Porcelain Heart, Ivory Tooth
Project Little Smith

Thanks for sharing your stories and insights! You ladies are truly inspirational!

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I hope you guys are having a lovely week so far. Now that I am feeling better I can't wait to get out and enjoy that beautiful sunshine some more!

Namaste!

Tara

Over-interneting

 "It’s an age-old problem, exacerbated by technology. To be always filled with craving and desire (also called defilement, affliction) is one of the Three Poisons of Buddhism, called kilesa, and it makes you a slave. There is true meaning in social media—real connections, real friendships, devotion, humor, sacrifice, joy, depth, love. And this is what we are looking for when we log on."

- Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr 

"Social Networking" via Sticky Comics

 This idea of kilesa, or desire, in relation to social media has been fluttering through my mind a lot these last couple of weeks. Caterina Fake's posting about "the fear of missing out" and a similar post about being "hopelessly addicted to the internet" on Bonzai Aphrodite sparked me to think about my own relationship to social networking and examine how much time I spend online.

Both posts mentioned above address two very different, but equally important concerns of how we approach the internet, one is the constant worry of missing out and the second is simply throwing our time away. With the first we see pictures on facebook and think that we really blew it by missing that party at so and so's or that everyone's lives are more interesting than ours based on their status updates. Social networkinging has this strange ability to be able to heighten or change an experience simply by documenting it. It forms a distorted view of our worlds. With this view, we are constantly searching for something more without being able to enjoy the beauty that is our lives. The second concern questions how much fruitless time we spend online and focusing that same energy on something more productive or creative. Do you really need to check twitter for the umteenth time or would taking a short walk around the block be better?

No finger pointing here as I am just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to over-interneting. With my family's work schedule I spend a decent portion of my day by myself. In many ways this "me time" has been great; I'm able to read, craft, listen to music, practice yoga, take long walks with the puppy, etc... on my own schedule, when and how I want. On the flip side, lots of "me time" can lead to lots of needless time online.  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the internet! The wealth of information and even the function of social networking are simply awe-inspiring and have changed the world for the better. Clearly as a blogger I believe in the impact sharing our experiences online can be an empowering act. With that being said, nothing is being changed for the better when you're mindlessly surfing that time vampire known as the internet, falling down rabbit hole after rabbit hole of links and searches.

I am trying to do less of that.

I am also beginning to see how examining how you spend your time and what you fill your mind with (via the internet, books, music, television, etc...) directly links to your sense of wellbeing and ease. Less trash tv and wasteful internet time can only allow more time and mental room for information and activities that are actually beneficial to us.

So let's start making more room for the good!

Namaste!
Tara