Outdoor Ice Bar at State Street Grill in Clarks Summit, PA

We all tend to shift focus once in a while – for better or for worse.  At the moment, we’re in the middle of a big thaw in the area and the streets are rivers, the gutters are waterfalls, and some people are holding their breath hoping the influx of water leaves their basements dry.  Soon, Spring will be here, we can get Little Guy outside again, and I can stop living on the treadmill.  But while we impatiently watch the mercury slowly rise every day, Today may be passing us by.  Without the deep freeze, the annual Ice Fest in Clarks Summit would not have been as great.  I wouldn’t have taken my son sleigh riding for the first time.  He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to bang on the window and wave, watching me shovel the driveway. . . again (he also loves watching me mow the lawn).

The Now is happening. . . . well, now!  I’m really busy at the moment with my new business Studio m Architecture + Design.  It’s great and very encouraging to have this much work so soon.  I’ve been operating in the mode of “work as much as I can. . . whenever I can” in order to get everything finished.  It’s working at the moment, but I start to wonder if there’s a crash looming in the distance – something I’d like to avoid if at all possible.

A few months ago, we ended up in the hospital with Little Guy for a number of days.  There were bouts of extreme pain and discomfort every 15-20 minutes and at times, all we could to was hold him and wait for it to end.  A true nightmare, for sure.  After things would settle, we would sit there, tears in our eyes, dreading what was to come in 15 more minutes and dwelling on what had just passed.  And out of nowhere, a little hand would reach up and grab our noses, or a belly laugh as my wife’s hair fell across his face.  How, we asked, could he be happy during our crisis?!  Talk about living in the moment.  When things are good, they’re good!  Maybe we could learn something from that.

You can’t ignore the future and you shouldn’t forget the past – of course.  A little more living in the Now, though, could help things.  As busy as things get, I’m reminded, one of the main reasons I decided to start my own firm was to increase my flexibility and spend more time with my family.  When things get really busy, it’s easy to set a few things aside and just keep working – kind of the opposite of my goals.  Although I highlighted how great it was to not have a schedule in one of my previous posts, it may help to throw in a little scheduling of time to make sure the important things don’t fall by the wayside (this revelation comes courtesy of my wonderful wife).  It’ll probably help avoid a crash in the future and end up giving me more time overall to get everything finished.

All of this is pretty much the opposite of the way an Architect works on projects.  Rarely do I make a move without thinking about the 50 things that decision will affect.  Although. . . sometimes living in the Now and getting an idea out there – regardless of the consequences or the complexity of the idea, is the only way to get it done!

Here’s to Now!

Architecture/Design Products:

Congratulations to Strawbees!  The company was recently funded thru Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform, and is on the way to producing a pretty cool product.  Just add straws & cardboard!  Check out the Strawbees Facebook page too!  I’ll keep an eye on this one and when it comes out, I’m sure Little Guy will love it.