A few days ago, my brother's friend posted this on Facebook and
I cannot get it off of my brain:
“Sometimes you have to take life as it comes… there
is not always a perfect time for things… don’t let an opportunity pass you by…
it may only come once in a lifetime!”
For whatever reason, that simple post really made an impression
on me.
We say that we want simple lives, and then we go and make them
so complicated by over-thinking, over-doing, and over-scheduling. We spend so much time doing things that
really don’t matter – then we lose the moment – and we can
never get those moments back.
This
past weekend I was busy in the kitchen doing something (that really didn’t
matter) while my beautiful 13-year old daughter sat on a stool in the kitchen
eating a popsicle and telling me all about her new guinea pig (Charles) that
her dad bought for her 4-H project. Along with her new guinea pig, she also got
braces last week so she was even more adorable as she sat just chatting away
and eating her popsicle... while she stared at the back of my head. Gulp. Why
oh why didn’t I stop whatever I was doing (that really didn’t matter) and grab
my own popsicle and pull up a stool beside her and listen to her tell me all
about Charles??
Oh…
to have that moment back.
It’s
not just THAT moment. I have LOTS of
those moments and they all add up to opportunities quickly passing me by that
will only come once in a lifetime. Nothing that I was doing was as important at
that time listening to my daughter. Nothing.
I
had to pick my kids up at their dad’s house this morning to take them to school
and I was thinking about this during my drive over there. By the time I got to my wasband’s house, I
was crying. I mean REALLY crying! My 15-year old son met me at the door and
immediately got the “deer in headlights” look when he saw me crying. You know that look that men make when they
see a woman crying and they don’t know what to do? He is only 15 but has already mastered that
look. He was frozen. Speechless.
Men just don’t do well with crying women. I could just see his mind working and
wondering why I was crying and wondering when I was going to stop. My daughter then came around the corner into
the kitchen and saw me crying and immediately hugged me and said, “Mom, I don’t
know why you’re crying but I love you!”
I
explained to her that I was sorry that while she was eating her popsicle and
telling me about Charles that I didn’t stop and look at her and that I am going
to try really hard to be better at that.
Then I added that she’s going to be in high school next year and that
her time with me is winding down. Her
response (with her cute little slivery smile) was so amazing:
“Mom. I still have four
days left of 8th grade.
Please don’t rush it!”
Once
again, I was reminded to take life as it comes!
Friends,
if you see me zipping through the grocery store, or rushing past you at church,
or playing on my phone at one of my kids' sporting events – PLEASE – remind me to slow down
and to be in the moment! Don’t over-think,
don’t over-do, don’t over-schedule. Just
be in the moment. Please remind me to
slow down and chat a bit or take in my kids’ activities. Please remind me to take life as it comes and to be in the moment.
These
moments only come once in a lifetime!
