How Do You Go Hands Free?

When I began my Hands Free journey a little over one year ago, I started alone. I was three months into it when I realized the transformation occurring in my life was too good to keep to myself.

So on December 13, 2010, I posted my first Hands Free Mama blog entry and invited the world to join me on this journey to grasp what really matters.

I have mentioned several times how grateful I am for your company. I have mentioned it publically in posts like “Within Reach,” “Did You Get The Memo?” and “How Kind of You To Notice.” I have also expressed my appreciation for your partnership in the Hands Free journey through personal email correspondences with my readers.

But today I am going to show you how much I love having you on this journey. I want you to see exactly why I love having you by my side in this battle against distraction.

Why is this important?

Because it is your Hands Free story that keeps me going on the days I fail miserably at grasping what matters. Yet, it is also your story that keeps me going on the days I succeed at grasping what matters.

While you anxiously await my successes, celebrate them, and even implement them into your own life, you graciously allow me to reveal my failures, learn from them and move on.

Your story keeps me going during the low times, the high times, and the times in between.

It is your story that keeps me going.

Therefore, I am compelled to share your story. Because your story is worthy of sharing, just like mine is. In fact, I find it quite beneficial to see what Hands Free looks like, not just in my life, but in the lives of my readers, ordinary people creating extraordinary moments by letting go to grasp what matters.

I have used the format “You know you’re living Hands Free when…” to present your stories because I think that is exactly how living Hands Free feels. It sneaks up on you unexpectedly and causes you to say and do things you didn’t say or do before.

The difference in living Hands Free and not living Hands Free is in the choices we make about how we are going to spend our precious time. Your Hands Free stories illustrate that point so beautifully.

Perhaps someone’s story will resonate with you, inspire you, or like me, motivate you to keep you going on your own journey to grasp what really matters.

Here are YOUR Hands Free stories …

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you begin singing a medley of Broadway tunes, Christmas songs, and lullabies to your over-tired and cranky six-year-old only to find that you quite enjoy this moment of tranquility and continue singing softly in the dark long after he falls asleep.

You Know You’re Living Hands Free When…

you finally realize how many times a day you tell your children to “hurry up,” and decide you not only need to stop saying it, you need to stop living it.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

your children hug you and you find yourself holding on a bit tighter and a bit longer than you did before.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you reluctantly step in to help your son practice kicking field goals and when it’s over, you are surprisingly declared “Best Field Goal Kicker Mom” on your street.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

your daughter is home sick from school and instead of completing all the things you need to do, you sit with her and watch an episode of “Hannah Montana” that you both have seen a hundred times.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you submerge yourself in the community pool (hair and all), and while playing in the water with your kids, your daughter wraps her arms around you and says, “Isn’t it great being with your kids?”

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you are frantically packing for your trip to California when you suddenly stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and pick up the Bible because your eight-year-old son meekly asked, “Will you read to me, Mom?”

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you interpret the shattering of your computer screen by your son’s flying flashlight as a wake up call, a second chance at living Hands Free, and begin limiting the time you spend on your computer to when he is at school or asleep.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you request that your employees place all electronic devices in a designated bucket as they enter meetings and conferences. Instead of giving you flack, some of them actually thank you.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you tell your seven-year-old son there will not be a story at bedtime tonight and as your tired body descends the staircase, you mumble a four-letter-word directed at Hands Free Mama, turn back around and say, “OK, but YOU have to tell ME the story.”

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you bake cakes with your three small children and for the first time ever, you allow them to break their own eggs and put as many sprinkles on their cake as they want without using the word “germs” or “mess” even one time.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

the sign your daughter made for your computer that says, “Do not use until you cuddle,” is no longer needed.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you hear joyful commotion in the background when you call your husband who is at home with the kids. He says, “I decided to blow off my to-do-list and go Hands Free; the kids and I are playing football.”

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you witness your son’s triple play, the congratulatory words from the opposing team’s coach, and exchange smiles with your son from across the field while painfully realizing distraction could have easily robbed your son of his mother’s presence in that unforgettable moment.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you forget your iPad on vacation and instead of having a panic attack, you see it as a sign, a blessing, and an opportunity to connect with your family.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

You send your spouse the link to “Joined In Silence,” and ask if you can discuss it tonight when you get home. It then leads to a fruitful discussion about ways you can help each other limit distraction and deepen personal connection.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

your husband agrees to go to yoga with you and accidently forgets his phone, resulting in the most connected sixty minutes the two of you have shared in a long time; you vow to forget the phone more often.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you get up early and throw on a hat, fully intending to fix your hair after the morning activities, but it doesn’t happen because you’re too busy playing and having fun; you decide you’ll be wearing your hat more often.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

your brother-in-law won’t get in the pool with the rest of the family and before you can stop yourself, you quote a line from your favorite post, “Fully Submerged,” by saying, “You are witnessing a moment in time that will never occur exactly this way ever again. And there is only one thing missing from it.”

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you are pushing the kids in the double stroller as they watch movies on their iPods. Suddenly you announce it’s time to “turn off, get out, and collect!” Everyone comes home with the most beautiful collection of rocks, leaves, flowers and memories.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you realize how critical the “hellos” and “goodbyes” truly are and make a commitment to stay off the phone when picking up or dropping off your children.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

your afterschool coaching duties are unexpectedly canceled. You excitedly anticipate all the things you are going to get accomplished at home when your son asks, “Will you play Pick Up Sticks with me?” You decide the chores can wait.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you read Hands Free Mama posts like “Tipping The Scales” and “The Girl With The Broken Smile” to your children at bedtime.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you announce to your regular walking partners that you will no longer be taking your cell phone on your weekly jaunts so you can devote your entire focus to them.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you no longer view the handprints on your glass door (which belong to your grandchildren) as something that needs to be wiped off.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you enact “Wireless Wednesdays” at your home where all adults and children refrain from using all electronics and instead connect with one another.

You know you’re living Hands Free when…

you decide that seventy-two years is long enough to beat yourself up over your weight and decide love and acceptance towards your body is how you want to live the precious days that remain.

And finally…

You know you’re living Hands Free when …

you begin viewing life as a million little “Sunset Moments” and you decide you aren’t going to miss anymore.

****************************************************

What’s your Hands Free story? If you have one, you know I’d love to hear about it. Simply use the “contact me” button at the top of the website or post a note in the comment section. If you don’t have a Hands Free story yet, you know what to do. All it takes is pushing away (or turning off) distraction and choosing to grasp what matters.

Thank you to each and every individual who has ever shared a Hands Free story with me. Not only did you take the time to grasp what mattered with someone you love, you took time to encourage others by sharing it.

Keep sending me those emails, commenting on my blog, and even stopping me in the grocery store parking lot to tell your stories. When someone shares his or her struggles or triumphs, it fuels me in such a powerful way to continue sharing my own.