"Children have neither past nor future;
they enjoy the present, which very few of us do."
~Jean de la Bruyere
I've been meaning to share an experience I had several weeks ago so I thought today is as good as any to share.
It all started with what I felt was an unfortunate event--a loose temporary crown that needed fixing. Long story short, the newly scheduled dental appointment left me with a few hours to kill away from home (so as not to waste gas) with Katherine, my three year old. Luckily the weather was beautiful (we had just come off a week filled with rain), so I took Katherine to an outdoor shopping center with fountains, play areas, and a train. As I enjoyed my time with Katherine, away from my chores and household duties, I realized several things.
I don't spend nearly enough time enjoying Katherine. I'm fortunate to work only four days a week and Rebecca goes to school, so I'm blessed with several mornings of just me and Kat. And what do I do with those mornings? We either run errands--grocery shopping, dance class, etc.. Or I'm wrapped up in household chores--laundry, dishes, etc.. Now I realize all of this needs to get done. And I do get help from my husband. But I also need to remember to enjoy the moment a little more. I need to let the laundry and dishes pile up every once in a while so I can enjoy a special morning with Katherine. She's only going to be little for so long. And she is precious, or as she likes to say she is "special."
I also realized that I rush a lot. We're always rushing to get to school or work. Dance class, ice skating, etc.. It's always go, go, go, rush, rush, rush. So much so, that I found myself rushing Katherine during our agenda free morning. Thankfully I caught myself and was able to slow down. It served as a great reminder that I need to slow down and enjoy the moment much more. Just as I came to this realization, I was rewarded with a special treat....
**I first have to set up the story with another story. Please bear with me and my rambling**
Weeks earlier, the girls and I were enjoying the changes of spring wherever we went. We especially loved all the trees with white blossoms, which we called "popcorn" trees. In fact our street was lined with "popcorn" trees. I kept wanting to photograph them, but I never slowed down to do it. And then we had a week of rain and our "popcorn" was washed away. I was bummed I had missed my moment. In fact, I created my own "popcorn" tree to remind myself of this.
Well, that morning with Katherine, we turned the corner to walk to the playground and you know what I saw? "Popcorn" trees! What a blessing. What a sign. After having just connected the dots for myself, I was rewarded. I realized that I needed to slow down and enjoy the moment. I did just that and I was greeted by beautiful "popcorn" trees. So I took my pictures, enjoyed Katherine, and learned my lesson....
Slow down and enjoy the moment!
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