Savour Each Moment

If there is one solid truth I learnt two years ago (with the passing of three people in my life) is that time is unforgiving. Time will not wait for you to mend that relationship, make that phone call, take that risk, or in my case, play with my son, in the pouring rain.

I had picked up my son from the sitter and I was exhausted. I wanted to go home, feed him, read with him and hopefully catch the tail end of The Voice.

"Mama, let's go the park. It's perfect to go." It was raining. This kid is nuts, I thought. Nope. This kid is being a kid. Why was it "perfect" for him to go to the park?

He exclaimed,"Because we'll be the only ones there!"

I started to protest but then I remembered that the day before when I recorded his height I shed a little tear. I was astonished as to how much he had grown in just two months. Time is unforgiving.

I said to myself, "The days are long, but the years are short".

And off we went. To the park. In the rain. In my work clothes. He, in his new jacket and jeans I got him at The Children's Place. Did it get dirty? Of course! Did I get frustrated? A little (those two items set me back $80!).  But that's what the washing machine is for, no? It was hard to show my frustration for the materials things, when he was running the perimeter of park laughing and singing, jumping in every puddle, trying to count all the birds in the sky..Children know how to live in the present. No holds barred. Unconcerned about schedules and price tags.

What is with us adults and our need to always be busy? Does being busy equate to being successful?  We’re always thinking we need to hurry up, when we should take time to sit down, calm down, and rest up. Maybe Ghandi was right when he said “There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.”

Those “oreo” organic cookies from Whole Foods lasts around three days in the house.  My son eats each one as if it’s his first, and he stares at it, gently twisting the top with precision as if he is holding the most delicate flower.  As per usual, the creamy filling is savoured first, and when I say “savoured”, I mean he takes his time letting it dissolve in his mouth. At this point, I am jealous at him, amazed how he can turn the mundane into something practically spiritual. Oh, but he’s not done yet!  He then eats the cookie itself almost in like a rhythmic “crunch”. Upon completion of his oreo cookie ritual, he will declare with complete satisfaction “Wow, that was the best cookie I’ve ever eaten!” Then he repeats the process. It is amazing how children can take the simple things in life and make it extraordinary.

I no longer argue when he wants a James Brown dance party in his room before school, or if wants to wear his Darth Vader costume when we’re going to the park and I definitely have stopped interrupting him when he takes his sweet time reading every single page of a DC Comic at the library, even if the library is closing for the day. Why? Because “the days are long, but the years are short”.

To a year full of moments well lived!

With Love & Gratitude,
Joan