The small stuff
As I have stated before I listen to Bob and Sheri on the morning drive. This morning’s call in topic lined up with something I’ve been thinking about for a while. Little pleasures. Things that we should live our day for. Those moments when we aren’t being pulled in 7 directions at once and we get to enjoy living.
Sheri was talking about staying home with her daughters last week. Unfortunately, the girls had the rotavirus from hell. So one evening, Sheri had to give one a bath and decided to just shower with her.
“There I sit” I remember her saying, “on the shower floor, washing her little foot, when I realized how many of these opportunities like these I had missed over the years. I started tearing up just taking in that moment.”
I have been very busy the last few days. Work is picking up…thank god. I am producing a Shakespearean play which auditioned this weekend, and I am technical director for a show at a local high school. So last night Sarah tells me “That baby misses you”. I realized I had missed 3 evenings of dinners and bathing and putting him down.
As we were falling asleep, I read a book and played with Sarah’s hair. I relish that every night. Last night I could feel my stress going out with every breath as I pulled my fingers through her hair. It was exactly the moment I want to end every day with.
Tonight, I feed that baby yogurt, and he got the biggest kick out of biting the spoon and holding on to it. Then it was splasha splash time. I got almost as wet as he did, while he belly laughed at everything. I put him in his pajamas and to bed he went. It did my heart good.
Take in those little moments. Maybe if you starting taking stock of them you will find stress releases where you didn’t know they existed. It will do your heart good. Don’t let them blur by with the rest of the day.
Now I’m looking forward to the book and the hair playing to come.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Carpe diem, huh? I think finally 13 years down the parenting road I’m beginning to ‘take in those little moments’ as you suggest. And as you say, it does my soul good and my stress levels. Thanks for the reminder to sieze THIS day, Bryan.