Filler and Fuel.

I found a blog that I adore!  Please, please go to Kelle Hampton's amazing site, although, I have to warn you be prepared to cry, and stay up for hours and hours devouring it.  Her blog post yesterday, must have been written just for me.  Check it out...http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/10/fueling-moments.htmlShe writes about fueling moments. Those moments that give us energy, spirit and inspiration.  Those wonderful recharging experiences that get us through the everyday, monotony of life.  In her blog she calls the time in between fueling moments-filler.  Filler isn't bad, but while in the filler, you can't stoke the fires that keep you burning.

For months, I've been living in the filler.  Doing lots of good stuff like going to school, taking photos of beautiful people, making small blog posts, watching Owen and Sophia grow up, chatting with my friends, but I'm running on fumes because these aren't the things that energize me.

Algebra, government and CPR courses are fine and I'm learning new things, but nothing that challenges my mind and broadens my view of the world. Classes that make me think outside of the box are fueling classes, and I don't have many of those.

Taking photos is a passion I have and I enjoy doing it, but it energizes me when I'm taking pictures of my children and the world around us.  I use those images to remind me of the amazing life we've been blessed with, and without those reminders, I can easily lose sight of that.  These reminders are fueling photos, and I haven't taken many of those lately.

Blogging is like therapy for me.  I need to vent, rant, contemplate and joke about what's going on around me.  Life is too short to take too seriously, and I like documenting the craziness that surrounds me on a daily basis.  That said, I need quiet reflection time to make that happen, and that's no where to be found lately. So my blog ideas are scribbled on post it's or stuck in draft form, saved on my computer, but never published. Journal posts on my blogs are fueling reflections; something I haven't had much time for recently.

I miss spending time with my kids for no other purpose that having fun or doing nothing.  Lately, it's been all homework, baths, supper time, bedtime, breakfast, goodbye and then the cycle starts all over again.  Not a lot of just being together time.  I miss the fueling family time that comes with flexibility and spontaneity, which has been missing from our day to day.

When I chat with my friends for a few minutes here & there, I don't get the burst of strength and enthusiasm like when I spend quality time laughing, crying and sharing with them in person. I'm lucky to have a great core group of amazing people in my life, but because they are amazing, they are busy doing amazing things,  like raising lots of kids, running lots of miles, climbing corporate ladders, taking lots of pictures, and living in their own filler.  Finding time for fueling friends is so important, and it's been hard to do!

Luckily, just a little fuel goes a long way.  Today, I'm going to stop and recharge.  Blog, post some photos, go outside for some fresh air and rush no where...until my 4pm photo shoot!

Enjoy a fueling moment or two today,