What I Learned This Spring

I used the calendar to jog my memory of what took place during the past three months. It is late in the game to make this reflection. Nevertheless, let’s begin.

 

1

It is worth it to travel for a good haircut. I am sure there are a lot of wonderful stylists in the area, but after a year of looking, I did not find the one for me. Keeping in mind the wisdom someone’s mother once said, “you wear your hair everyday,” I will travel an excessive distance every three months to have a haircut. From every angle, this sounds crazy to me, until I leave the salon and am ever so glad I made the choice to do that.

 

2

A common mission illuminates a marriage. My husband and I have always had our values in common. It has not been difficult to navigate our parenting styles. Financial style is still a work in progress, but it does not generate altercations. Even with all this goodness, it was this spring when we invested our energy into each other’s endeavors the most. My husband took a composer’s retreat, three days away in the coastal redwoods to dig into his work, in this case, a hymnal. Twice a week surrounding that, I lock myself in the bedroom while his voice scolding the children resonates through the walls of this room of my own, and I write. Discussing our businesses and their branding was a spring project of spring and added a joyful thrill to marriage. We are artists. While I always thought faith brought us together, lots of people have faith. For us, it was faith and art.

 

3

Lent and Good Friday can be a refuge for a grieving parent. Many a feast is cause to celebrate, but one’s heart is not always in it. My spirit felt congruent in this season of faith. There is suffering in this world, it is not the end, and even if the “only way out is through” others have walked that way. I am not alone.

 

4

How not to take a vacation. Yes, this medical mom made a bunch of mistakes, mostly due to not researching ahead and not communicating with the medical team. No emergencies happened, but they could have. There are additional steps on my vacation to-do list, and I am using them as we prepare for the next attempt. I want to learn how to travel even with medical needs, do it well, and for now, we will just do it in California.

 

5

Dress rehearsals are better to go to than performances when writing a review or an article. Most places will not allow photography during performances. This is the way in, plus opportunities to talk with performers.

 

6

My suspicions confirmed I learned through four instances that it is better to charge less and sell more when you have an inexpensive product and your main concern is community, not currency.

 

 

 

7

Different theories inform feeding and speech therapy. They are rooted in psychology. I can navigate this world of speech and feeding therapy for my son, as I have navigated the medical world. This spring brought about first lessons.

 

 

8

I believe in Providence. This spring, I learned remarkable things about one of my son’s doctors that sheds new light on much of the path we trod.

 

9

I have only so much energy for relationship investment. Children and spouse require most of it. Of what is left, the investment in social media relationships caused me to neglect in-real-life relationships in this season of my life.

 

10

I am giving priority to life at home over career, putting the brakes on ambition and personal dreams, indulging my passions within the space parenthood allows and, this spring, I learned that’s okay.

 

11

Lin Manuel Miranda and Flannery O’Connor are brilliant.

 

12

And I love reviewing books and writing others’ stories.

 

I encourage you to make your own list, too! You can share it with me by emailing me at Writer@kathrynannecasey.com