Every year as Father’s Day approaches, I have the urge to make my Dad a card.
And to send him a quick “can I give you a call around 3?” text on Father’s Day so we can talk about nothing…and everything.
Even after 5 years of saying goodbye until we meet again in Heaven, my heart is reminded of my Dad’s absence in unexpected ways on ordinary days (because yes time does help, but grief is a non-linear journey). And almost always on Father’s Day.
(Dad and me 💜)
This weekend I was driving solo (a rarity) and I started both smiling and tearing up thinking about something unique to my Dad, a philosophical approach to life he called “transitionalism”.
Slowing Down
Transitionalism was Dad’s idea that we need to pause between events or activities or everyday tasks and “transition.”
I remember him often saying, “I’m transitioning!”
As a kid I thought it was his way of excusing himself from participating in the next thing so he could sit longer.
Maybe that was part of it.
But as I enter my forties, I think I get it. And honestly, I crave more of it.
Slow over fast.
Less over more.
Presence over accomplishment.
All too often we’re in a hurry to move on to the next thing. Move past the hard season. Cross the next thing off the list (probbbbbbably not something in my Dad’s mind, but definitely in mine.)
But we can also choose to…
Slow down. Pause. Linger. Transition.
So why am I telling you this?
Three reasons.
- I wanted to honor my Dad in this small way.
- I needed the reminder (and maybe you do too).
- And, because it is also the main reason I started my Etsy shop (other than financial reasons).
Why I Started Joyfully Printable
After my Dad died, I wanted to help myself and other moms, grandparents, teachers, anyone who would listen, to slow down and savor life’s small moments.
Those small moments compound year over year and shape our entire lives.
If you’re thinking, Marissa, aren’t you taking this a little too far? I mean, printables don’t really have that kind of impact? Do they? Glad you asked!
At first glance, no. A printable is just paper.
But when we dig a little, I’d say a big resounding YES!
Here’s what I mean.
1. We pause to say thank you.
We are grateful for the time, energy, talents, treasures, and love others share with us. So, after we are given a gift, we pause to thank someone with a handwritten note. A printable thank you coloring card and letter template makes this easier for kids.
And when November rolls around, we print our thankful tree and pause after dinner most nights to write something we’re grateful for that day on a leaf and glue it to our tree. And on Thanksgiving our tree is overflowing with gratitude.
2. We pause to celebrate.
Seemingly small moments matter. When we lose a tooth, we celebrate with a tiny tooth fairy letter hidden under our pillow. This small celebration reminds us sometimes change can be good. We let go and embrace growth.
And when school starts and ends, we run through the first day of school starting line and the last day of school finish line. Because we can do hard things and we celebrate how we’ve grown through the hard things we’ve done.
I could go on and on!
Let’s Slow Down and Savor
Simple printables make it easy to not re-invent the wheel each time those moments happen. Print, use, repeat year after year.
So I’d love to know, what helps you slow down and savor?
Comment below and let me know (or better yet, subscribe to my weekly newsletter and reply to me directly 👇).
And if I don’t respond right away, I just might be sitting here “transitioning.”