#OolaYLChallenge 3: Family
Today the challenge was to focus on the the third “F” of Oola—Family. This was an easy challenge for me, because my family is my EVERYTHING!!!!
One of the questions in the challenge was, “Have you ever felt like your presence is a present?” My answer to that is an enthusiastic, “YES!!!!”
Often our family will plan time together instead of purchasing presents. Last year as a Mother’s Day gift my sister and I took our parents to the Missouri Botanical Gardens to visit the Butterfly House. Then we took them to ride the St. Louis Carousel at Faust Park. That was especially fun because sixty years earlier our parents had ridden that same carousel when they visited Forest Park Highlands on their honeymoon!!!
Aren’t they so cute and adorable?!?!?!?!
The spirit of this #OolaYLChallenge though goes far beyond doing things on special occasions. OolaYL encourages you to let your presence be a present to your family and others on a daily basis.
One thing that often interferes with our family time is social media. We let alerts and notifications steal our focus from those we care about. Other times work obligations consume our minds and we are unable to appreciate the present moment.
Today’s #OolaYLChallenge was to keep off social media, stay away from apps and digital games, and be engaged in the moment. They encouraged us to give up our phones from 4 to 7 p.m. and to spend that time focused on being present in our relationships so we could appreciate what a blessing these moments are.
I was on the road with my husband during that time, so my phone was already put away. To honor the challenge, we turned off the radio. Instead of taking the interstate home, we chose the back roads. We were so engaged with each other that the miles flew by. It was such a relaxing and beautiful drive as the sun was setting on the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. The day was pure joy.
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