Our Five Ring Circus: A Word To Live By

Thursday, January 19, 2012

A Word To Live By

Enjoy.

Such a simple, common word. A word that didn't really make me think until this morning.

This morning was rough. I climbed out of bed, exhausted and not quite ready to face the day. From the time I wake at 7 AM until Dylan climbs on his bus at 7:50 AM, I am in constant motion. The only thing that makes it easier is the fact that Lily sleeps well and usually sleeps until 9-9:30.

Not this morning. Fifteen minutes after I woke up, she began screaming. I tried everything, but ten minutes later, my unusually cranky baby was awake and in my arms. And we were running late.

I struggled to dress a still sleeping Dylan with one hand, while urging him to please wake up. I struggled to make a one-handed breakfast for him. Then, I had to get 3 of us bundled up to wait for the bus. By the time Dylan's bus arrived, I was stressed.

As usual, he turned around before he boarded the bus, flashed his big grin and told me to tell Lexie he said hi. With a "Love ya, Mama and Lily!" he was off.

As I turned around to cross the road to our driveway, I noticed an elderly woman sitting in her car, waiting for the bus to leave, smiling at me. She rolled down her window and commented on how adorable Lily was all bundled up in her snowsuit and how it made her morning to see such a cute baby. I smiled and thanked her, and she smiled back, quiet for a few seconds. She told me, "These are the best days of your life. Enjoy."

I nodded in understanding and wished her a good day. She waved while pulling away and I continued on my way. As I climbed the steps to my house, my long to-do list ran through my head.

And then it hit me.

This woman took the time to wind down her window to talk to me, even though it was freezing outside and even though there was a car behind her. It was a simple lesson, one I already knew, but she felt compelled to remind me.

I needed to hear that.

Enjoy.

With a deep breath, I let go of all my expectations for my day. I smiled at my precious baby as I took her out of her snowsuit. I took off my coat, kicked off my shoes and changed back into my fleece pajama pants. I climbed into my bed and snuggled with my baby girl.

Instead of just checking things off of my list, I enjoyed the moment.

These moments are fleeting. How long will Lily be this small? Weeks? Days? I can't even remember what it was like when she was a scrawny newborn. Before long, I'm not going to remember what it was like when she was a chubby 5 month old. So enjoy it I will.

Yes, life as a mom can be stressful. Incredibly stressful! Those moments will not go away. But I will spend more time enjoying my children, instead of just getting things done. Because years from now, everything will be done, and I'm going to wish for my crazy, chaotic life to be back. I'm going to wish my children were still small enough to be held. I'm going to wish that my children were back home.

So we cuddled. Then Lexie came in and I cuddled with both of them. I ate breakfast with Lexie at her child-sized table. I spent more time holding Lily. I baked cookies with Lexie. I read books with Dylan.

Those are the moments I want to remember.

Enjoy.

That is the word I'm going to live by.

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful!!! So glad you had the presence of mind to listen to that elderly woman!

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  2. what a beautiful post. it gave me shivers what that woman said. wow. and so very true. we need to enjoy these moments... as they go by so fast, regardless of the good or the bad.

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  3. Oh, this totally made me tear up. It's so true, I know, that we need to hold on and enjoy these moments. Sometimes, it can be so hard to remember when your child is throwing a tantrum or life is just crazy. Thank you for the reminder. So sweet. :)

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  4. I am SO doing this right now too!

    Sounds like we're on the same page...soaking in the moments.

    xoxox

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  5. Wow! This is exactly what I needed to hear. This week I posted about a rough day I was having with J. Some days get frustrating, but I know it will pass. I definitley need to enjoy my time with him :)

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  6. I love this post. I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason and we're given signs every now and then to help guide us. That older woman's comment was meant to serve a purpose--to remind you of what's important. I think your blog is my sign to keep it all in perspective too. I have an incredible "to do" list (like every other mom I know), but I have to remind myself that balance is key. Yes, I do have priorities, but I also need to take time out to just enjoy the moment and live in the present. Thanks for this! Have a happy weekend!

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  7. Amen sister!!!! I try to remind myself to enjoy this time! This was a beautiful post!!!

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  8. Beautiful post! It's so easy to get overwhelmed (I think) that I can be quick to forget to enjoy.

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  9. Amazing post, thanks for the reminder. XOXO

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  10. Dylan is just so sweet!!! I wish ALL ppl could be as sweet as elders!

    Ive been doin this a lot lately! my house work is put off but I love bein able to just spend that time wit Bre and see her learnin new stuff

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  11. Sounds like you had a wonderful day. While it's super hard, sometimes we just need to let go of the expectations and enjoy the moment. I'm glad you were able to do just that.

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  12. Excellent, excellent post. Thank you for sharing. It's the exact thing I needed this morning.

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  13. Well I picked a great day to stop by and catch up. This was a wonderful post, and something every parent needs to read. Life does get crazy with little ones, and we need to enjoy these moments before they are gone.

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  14. Oh, thank you so much for the reminder! I am loving how you really stopped and enjoyed the day! I needed this reminder today :)

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  15. beautifully written, made me cry!!! I now want to go and wake up Judah or just snuggle up really close. For some reason the Lord is just placing on my heart lately to really enjoy these moments while he is still young, our littles are growing way to fast...so grateful that woman spoke to you

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  16. I was getting Aubie ready for bed tonight, and it struck me that she's two. Two! How did that happen? Sometimes we just need to enjoy the moment.

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  17. Thanks for the reminder! This is such an inspiring post. It did made me realize what I have been missing this past weeks of being so busy with work and school. You are so right, we can never turn back time once it done. I totally forgot my blog's name, "life can't wait". SUPER thanks!

    oh and btw, you are one great writer. You can be an author :)

    hugs,
    marice

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  18. This is so beautiful. I love those kinds of moments when a complete stranger says something seemingly small and it changes your whole day and they have no idea! Stay tuned...I'm going to have to link up to this! :-)

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