Day 272

Sometimes, you lose track of how much has changed when you’re in the thick of it every day. For example, I often fail to notice how much my own kids have grown and changed because I am there every step of the way. When I see a former student I haven't connected with in some time, it blows me away how much they have grown. 

Similarly, when you are working on the same land over and over, you may notice incremental changes but often fail to recognize the transformation. I notice this especially when I am looking at our restoration long-term. I still soi much that remains, I sometimes fail to recognize and appreciate what we have done so far and just how much we have changed the land for the better.

For the last few years, our family has worked to make our house and land better. Better for  wildlife. Better for us. We have an exciting vision we're working towards. Though every step seemed tiny, the journey has been pretty impressive. Looking back, it is sometimes hard to even remember what everything was like when we first bought the property. We started changing things right away. It seems like we never really took a break from either planning, doing, changing plans, starting something new, or re-doing something we had already done. When one project ran its course, a couple others were ready to go. Feeling like a constant work-in-progress, taking a breather to relish in our improvements was nearly impossible.

Recently, I had someone come visit the backyard and say how beautiful it was. I must admit I was a bit surprised considering the area in question was full of what I would consider garbage plants I hope to soon transform into prairie plants and flowers. I guess it is all about perspective. I am looking ahead to the future, sometimes at the expense of the present. While I have a vision of what I want our land to become, I realized that I needed to be reminded to live in the here and now. To let the future be the future and to enjoy what it is now and cherish the moment.