I instantly knew which picture to post. It was taken on our honeymoon in Tanzania. We were in the Selous Game Reserve which is the size of Switzerland with hardly any people in it. Our ranger had taken us by boat up the Sands River, stopped on this sandbank, shooed the hippos and crocodiles away and we'd got out. He set up fishing lines for us and we stood on the warm sand, with the sun setting, sipping on Tusker lager, waiting for a nibble. It was bliss and utterly chilled out.
But it's not so easy to nip off to Tanzania anymore. As a parent you have to find new, less exotic ways to chill out. I discovered two ways this afternoon, sadly I have pictures of neither.
First of all, I downed tools. All of them - blackberry, ipad, computer, dishes, laundry, dinner ingredients - and devoted myself to playing calvinball with my boys. It's a great game - part cricket, part baseball, part tennis, part rounders. Instead of looking at my watch and thinking about the next thing I needed to be doing, I just threw myself into the game wholeheartedly. I have the bird poo stains on my jeans to prove it.
Second, after dinner, while son 1 watched TV, I embarked on a game of tickles with son 2. I can't remember when last I did that. I even played 'this little piggy went to market' and 'round and round the garden path', which I haven't done for what feels like years. And when we were both too exhausted to tickle each other anymore, we did tongue twisters. Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry. She sells seashells. Three flags flying freely. And we laughed and laughed and laughed.
And by the end of the afternoon, I felt very chilled out.
Perhaps that's the art of chilling out - it's about living completely in the moment, no matter what that moment may be.
See the way other bloggers chill out here.
9 comments:
Must get back to the tickles, often forget to play with the kids (instead of whining at them) will try that this arvo. After chilling of course. Love your picture of Tanzania
First off, Tusker! Haven't drunk that in years. Had a blast in Tanzania when I was there. Proposed to my wife-to-be on Kilimanjaro, stayed at a fantastic beach hotel north of Dar, suffered the joys of Air Tanzania.
Secondly, Calvinball! Must must must play that with the kids!
That sandbank looks a damn fine place to chill out.
And my favourite fishing quote:
"Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a night. Teach a man to fish and he'll spend all day drinking beer in a boat."
Such a nice reminder of how life changes but you find new moments that are so special!
i love your post - just for that wee glimpse right at the end about being present in the moment, when nothing else matters, whatever you are doing... that IS chilling out!
Great picture! I love your 'mummy tummy' thing too
Chilling out is a little different when you have kids, right? Tanzania sounds wonderful.
This morning, when the first rejection (of a long line of rejections, that I am sure of) popped up in my inbox, I switched everything off and played dressing up with my 2-year-old. And then colouring in. And then Lego. And the police-car-crashing. And I felt so much better and very relaxed after that. Simple things...
Oh yes, living in the moment! When I finally discovered this I began to feel much more chilled in life. Now I just need to remember to do it regularly. I would love to go to Tanzania...it's another one on the lonnnng list!
Lovely image and it is all about memory making so glad you made time to make some special ones.
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