Enjoying the Process

Yesterday a reoccurring theme made its way through my mind. I participated in my second sprint triathlon in the early hours of the morning. This race was much harder than the first race I did in June for a variety of reasons. The course was much more difficult and my training has lacked in the last month. The bike course was a very hilly road path through Holly Recreational Park. It was a two loop course, so after completing the first loop, I knew what was coming. :) Part way through the second loop the thought, "enjoy the process", went through my head. Even though I was completing one of the hardest things I have done in my life, I wanted to enjoy the process. The park was beautiful, the weather gorgeous. The path was tree lined and in a few spots lakes lined the path. It gave me something to focus on instead of looking at the massive hill I was pedaling up. It was a great experience overall.


Later in the day yesterday, when 2 out of the three kids were napping, I decided to mow the lawn. I wanted to enjoy the sunshine and the lawn was looking like a jungle, so why no mow it? It is actually a task that I enjoy. Up and down each row, and again I thought, "enjoy the process." Instead of trying to rush through, just enjoy it.


Sometimes I get caught up in the tasks of life, that I don't stop to enjoy them. It is easier to say, I just want this to be done and try and get it done and move on to something else. I do this with the kids sometimes. Some phases that kids go though are not so fun. Yet, they are only little once and I want to try and focus on "enjoying the process" more often. Again, it is easy sometimes (at least for me) to fall into the trap of complaining, focusing on how hard something is, or just rushing through something to get it done. I'm not blind to the fact that there are terrible tragedies and difficulties in life that people face, and enjoying the process just isn't feasible or seems impossible at times. But in my day to day, I want to try and accomplish this. I believe it will make me a more patient, can be attitude changing, and put a smile on my face instead of a scowl. I hope that you stop and "enjoy the process" in something today!