Summer Days & letting go of the small things

On Monday, Darby and I spent the morning at the beach with my friend and fellow blogger Pip and her adorable daughter. 

It was a perfect day, the sun was shining, but through the clouds. It wasn't too hot, and there was a gentle breeze. Just perfect really. 

Darby and I had such a relaxing and enjoyable time, even though I had forgotten all the obvious things you normally take to the beach! 

But it didn't matter one little bit. 

You see I have made a pact with myself that this would be the year I would try not to sweat the small stuff. 20 days in and I'm doing ok (its hard!!) 

When Darby was younger, I used to stress, this stress lead to anxiety and this would completely railroad anything I was doing. Especially when I started parenting solo, it was bloody hard and I would lose my mind when things didn't go right, I would feel like such a failure, a bad parent,  but finally I am getting better at shaking that mindset. 

Yesterday all we took to the beach was Darby's hat and a little food. I forgot to pack the obvious things - bathers, towel, buckets and spades to play with. I had slathered him in sunscreen and put his hat on and off we went. 

When I arrived I realised I probably should have packed those bathers and a towel would have come in handy, but you know what, I just shrugged my shoulders and let that worry  just slide right off me. 

So what I forgot his bathers, he could swim in his jocks and T-shirt and we could wash them when we got home. 

So what we forgot beach toys. He had the most fun just piling sand with this bare hands into freestyle sandcastles and collected shells and made himself a little Xmas tree. {I love his imagination! } 

So what I didn't have a towel to sit on. The soft sand cushioned me and felt good on my bare skin (a good exfoliant too!) 

It felt good not to worry about my parenting failure and just enjoy the moment. The catching up with a good friend, watching Darby enjoy himself, kick water with his feet and run along the shore. Seeing his joy. 

Those will be the bits that I will remember, not that I didn't remember his bathers!