I read a blog post recently, and I loved it! It is about enjoying the little things in life... little things which just seemed to happen, despite our NOT PLANNING them; the little things which we never would have asked for or chose - but when you think about the things we choose, the things we don't choose, actually come attached to the things we do choose... Here are a few examples from different homes:
*Tiny little fingerprints, all over the fridge, windows, doors, walls...
*Tiny little hand prints, all over YOU! (It seemed nearly impossible to keep my shirt clean when my children were little!)
*Hugs and kisses and smiles that melt your heart. (OK... I think we at least hoped for these! :)
*The sounds of children (or teenagers) in the background of your life
*No fingerprints
*No noisy children, maybe even no spouse
*Having a child (or spouse or self) with a disAbility (there are unseen blessings!)
*The challenge of establishing a house of order, in a homeschooling home (I LOVE IT! :D)
*Tiny conversations with a husband who is rarely home because of work and school. (We can gripe that they are tiny, or cherish them because they are so valued and so rare!) This is something that was mentioned on the blog that I read; which I really want to give credit for... but don't remember whose blog it was! If anyone knows, let me know!
*A messy house (very important to have this on occasion, but not all the time... hopefully it means you've been busy doing more important things, AND, helps you not take it for granted when it is clean. :)
*Books all over the house...
There are so many things in life which we don't order... but still get. Sometimes when we look at them - instead of seeing what we have, we see that we don't have what we ordered. It's tragic, really. Imagine going to a fast food place and ordering a shake... then getting a fruit smoothie. I think the automatic response is to say... "Hey! I ordered a shake!" Some people may even get a little irritated or angry.
What would your response be?
I wonder how much more we would ENJOY life, if instead of focusing on what we don't have, or didn't get... we just soaked it all up and thankfully took everything for what it is. Do we immerse ourselves in really, totally and completely, LIVING each moment... enough to place significant value on all of the varied experiences we have in life? Or do we complain "that's not what I ordered!" ?
What if for some reason you couldn't have a shake, and you had to make do with the fruit smoothie? Could you still be happy? Could you taste (and I mean, really taste) that fruit smoothie and just think about how delicious a fruit smoothie is? Or would you be thinking... "This is not a shake! This is NOT what I wanted! This is NOT what I ordered?
I am finally learning to go with the flow more, and just taste my life... I'm learning to accept various aspects of my life for what they are - rather than thinking of what they aren't. And I'm finding that my life tastes good
Do you have things in your life which you never would have asked for or wanted... so you forget to taste and enjoy them?
*Tiny little fingerprints, all over the fridge, windows, doors, walls...
*Tiny little hand prints, all over YOU! (It seemed nearly impossible to keep my shirt clean when my children were little!)
*Hugs and kisses and smiles that melt your heart. (OK... I think we at least hoped for these! :)
*The sounds of children (or teenagers) in the background of your life
*No fingerprints
*No noisy children, maybe even no spouse
*Having a child (or spouse or self) with a disAbility (there are unseen blessings!)
*The challenge of establishing a house of order, in a homeschooling home (I LOVE IT! :D)
*Tiny conversations with a husband who is rarely home because of work and school. (We can gripe that they are tiny, or cherish them because they are so valued and so rare!) This is something that was mentioned on the blog that I read; which I really want to give credit for... but don't remember whose blog it was! If anyone knows, let me know!
*A messy house (very important to have this on occasion, but not all the time... hopefully it means you've been busy doing more important things, AND, helps you not take it for granted when it is clean. :)
*Books all over the house...
There are so many things in life which we don't order... but still get. Sometimes when we look at them - instead of seeing what we have, we see that we don't have what we ordered. It's tragic, really. Imagine going to a fast food place and ordering a shake... then getting a fruit smoothie. I think the automatic response is to say... "Hey! I ordered a shake!" Some people may even get a little irritated or angry.
What would your response be?
I wonder how much more we would ENJOY life, if instead of focusing on what we don't have, or didn't get... we just soaked it all up and thankfully took everything for what it is. Do we immerse ourselves in really, totally and completely, LIVING each moment... enough to place significant value on all of the varied experiences we have in life? Or do we complain "that's not what I ordered!" ?
What if for some reason you couldn't have a shake, and you had to make do with the fruit smoothie? Could you still be happy? Could you taste (and I mean, really taste) that fruit smoothie and just think about how delicious a fruit smoothie is? Or would you be thinking... "This is not a shake! This is NOT what I wanted! This is NOT what I ordered?
I am finally learning to go with the flow more, and just taste my life... I'm learning to accept various aspects of my life for what they are - rather than thinking of what they aren't. And I'm finding that my life tastes good
Do you have things in your life which you never would have asked for or wanted... so you forget to taste and enjoy them?
Posts
What if for some reason you couldn't have a shake, and you had to make do with the fruit smoothie? Could you still be happy? Could you taste (and I mean, really taste) that fruit smoothie and just think about how delicious a fruit smoothie is? Or would you be thinking... "This is not a shake! This is NOT what I wanted! This is NOT what I ordered?
ReplyDeleteUmmmm .... it depends on the time of the month? DOH! I did NOT just say that?!!! Sorry :)
No really .... another great post
(And then I was thinking, "I can't believe she has 16 y/o boys -- she is so young!" And then I remembered some of the people I graduated HS w/have kids in college. I think I like to pretend I'm a college student still)
Love this post. I love how I need to be reminded to rest in the unplanned -- so much beauty and so much joy.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you!
Rachel