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Leanne Shirtliffe

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Living Hypothetically: Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ’10 Contest

I love hypothetical situations: they allow me to proclaim with confidence what I’d do in a given situation when in reality, I haven’t a clue.

Take parenting. Before I had kids, I was an expert on motherhood. As a hypothetical parent, I’d observe and critique, vowing that I’d never plop my kids in front of a TV for the length of time it’d take a moderately fit person to run a marathon.

The company, Mabel’s Labels, has a contest asking one of these fascinating hypothetical questions: what would you post on your blog if the internet was experiencing an epic fail, possibly permanently? It’s like famous-last-words for those obsessed with blogging.

Here, then, are my final words which, for once, are not ironic.

Go outside.

Walk barefoot in dewey grass.

Swing.

Dance like you own your whole body.

Giggle.

Make snow angels.

Sing.

Deliver cookies to a neighbour.

Listen.

Stay for a cup of tea.

Smile.

Lie in a sunbeam.

Cuddle.

Picnic in your backyard.

Somersault.

Follow a leaf blowing in the wind.

Breathe.

It’s a bit of a poet’s shopping list for the Carpe Diem Supermarket. But in all seriousness, these are the things I love more than blogging, more than teaching, more than writing. These are the games of children, and if I can settle myself in the moment, which ironically is what blogging does for me, then time ceases to matter.

Perhaps parenting, hypothetical or not, is more about adults becoming childlike than children growing into adults.

Now excuse me, while I go unplug.

Filed Under: Un-Ironic Moments Tagged With: Mabel's Labels BlogHer '10 Contest

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. karmavore says

    March 3, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    I agree. I feel like a slave to the screen. A slave to the box. Today I let the cherry blossoms rule the day. And it felt good. Very good.

    Reply
  2. Baobab says

    March 3, 2010 at 11:20 pm

    beautifully said. I’ll shop in your CD Supermarket anyday..

    Reply
  3. Elena says

    March 4, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Wow, very much what I needed to read this week.
    Beautiful and actually gave me shivers.
    Very nice, Iroic mom

    As a side note….I was an AMAZING mother…before I had children! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Kristin @ Intrepid Murmurings says

    March 30, 2010 at 3:29 pm

    Love this! A great reminder, too. Its so easy to get sucked into The Internets and miss out on these way more awesome things…

    Reply
  5. karmavore says

    April 12, 2010 at 12:17 pm

    Hey congrats on being a finalist and for being so UN-ironic ;)!

    Reply
  6. Ali says

    April 12, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    Congrats on being a Mabel’s Labels BlogHer finalist! Way to go. We’re all cheering for you.

    Reply
  7. Stacey @ Tree, Root, and Twig says

    April 12, 2010 at 9:39 pm

    Lovely. Hard to pick a favorite from the list, but love the idea “lie in a sunbeam.” Reminds me that maybe my cat is a little smarter than I am. 😉

    Reply
  8. Amber says

    April 14, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    This is really, really lovely. I can see why you were chosen as a finalist.

    Also, now I know what I’m going to do tomorrow. It’s time for a picnic in our backyard. 🙂

    Reply

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