Justina Blakeney had some wise words for us at Alt Summit a few weeks ago. Know when to listen and when not to listen. I feel like this is something we have all been practicing since childhood, as I observe Harper and Elliot constantly choosing the latter these days.

Despite the many mistakes I’m sure I have made through my childhood and adolescence of not listening, I champion my own personal decision in high school when my parents told me not to sign up for my own email account and I did it anyway. I also didn’t listen to them when they told me not to join a sorority. In both cases, deep down, I knew my decision was the better one, and in both cases, everything worked out.

Some voices are louder than others and some, more quietly persuasive.

Know when to listen. 

But how?

Here’s how this idea is playing out in my life right now. These two schools of thought have me torn.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin

 – versus –

“We are always getting ready to live but never living.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

I mean, let me be clear. I’m not trying to get all crazy profound on you. I’m talking more everyday application. I think meal planning and outfit planning and planning in general is important to make our weekdays go by smoother. But what if I am missing the bigger picture because I’m distracted by the smaller one in my daily lists?

Especially with young kids, our weeks and months (and dare I say, years) can fly by in an instant if we aren’t careful. I so desperately want to be that cool go-with-the-flow mom who is always down to party / bring on the circus / let’s make some memories up in this joint / pass the juice box / ‘aint nothing but a thing / FUN person. But instead, most days I find myself defending nap time and quiet time and time to get our chores done. So hum. I suppose I could schedule in some spontaneity? (You guys, I am a riot.)

I’ll leave you with this quote as I run off to an adventure fold some laundry. I thought this was motivating.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
― Henry David Thoreau