GMDL Day 21: The Final Day of the Get More Doing Less Challenge

{flickr photo by: Tambako the Jaguar}

The Preciousness of Time

Perhaps no one expressed it better than my grandma. With the early stages of Alzheimer’s reaching in and tugging at her memories, time seemed to fall soft, and slow like the sands upon an hourglass.

Being with her was both frustrating and peaceful. At the time, I did not realize it felt like toggling two worlds-one was part of the world I was still in and she had left. It was the world of accomplishments and getting things done.

It was a world she had been the star of. She was always busy. Busy bee crafting, cooking, baking and cleaning. I don’t remember ever seeing her sit down and just talking with me.

Then the other part was somewhere new. Alzheimer’s stole her short-term memories and wrapped it up, hid it so no matter how hard she looked she could not find it. Instead, she smiled effervescently at a young child, rocked a baby doll, laughed at feeling happy being with family and feeling immense gratitude for being in the presence of a beautiful flower.

This was not the grandma I knew. But this is the grandma I had always wanted to know.

Alzheimer’s & Living

My grandmother’s Alzheimer’s touched me greatly. I blogged about it here and I wrote a newspaper article about it in the past. And although sadness and grief takes over me every time I see her suffering, I am reminded about that one moment in time. I remember the moment she stopped being busy and just stopped to enjoy her life.

The End of the Road

We’ve come to the end of the road. It’s been 21 days of doing less and I’m exhausted. It’s been a challenging challenge learning how to accept who I am separate from the tasks that fill my life.

One by one as I let things drop and slide, I faced my fears of feeling inadequate. I was reminded what it felt like to move in time with my mind instead of trying to catch up to it.

I spent more time with activities I love and put less weight on accomplishing them. In the 21 days that I’ve done this, I haven’t had an article published or a job accepted. But I survived. I enjoyed my life. I enjoyed moments dancing in the den with my husband. I spent moments in silence. I found my song and was reconnected with my purpose.

What have you accomplished or not accomplished?

As we end this challenge, I hope you will continue to bring a little bit of doing less into your every day life. As a lot of nutritionist will tell you, “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.” As we come to the end of the road, let’s continue to appreciate and love our lives.

Daily Challenge: Whether it’s writing, working, or playing, do one activity and fully be present in it. Learn to be mindful in everything you do from now until the end of your life and you will not only find happiness, joy and peace along the way, but you may even find yourself- that present-minded happy person I discovered in my grandma that day.

Thank you for supporting me on this challenge! If you have been inspired or touched by any of these posts, please share them with those you love and leave me a comment here.