Savoring the Small Stuff

There has been something weighing on my heart recently: a desire to provide all of you with something meaningful, and something I feel genuinely passionate about. Friends, I can say without any hesitation that if I had to whittle it all down to a singular thing I care about accomplishing through Positively Splendid it is to tell you all this:

In the midst of car pools and diaper changes, doing laundry and doing dishes, dealing with commutes that make us want to pull our hair out, or trying to meet seemingly impossible deadlines day in and day out, it can often be so hard to wrap our minds around how crucial it is to stop and process the poignant beauty of everyday life.

Today the little shoes that I always seem to trip over in our entryway are a never-ending source of frustration.

But in 5, 15, 50 years? Those same shoes will be something I pull from a forgotten box in an attic corner, and they will be magical.

I will remember teaching Jack to ties those laces.
Reminding Charlotte that her shoes are (once again) on the wrong feet.
Holding sweet Cecily’s hand as she toddles alongside me with her shoe-clad feet.

And, you know what? I will yearn – ache – for just one more sweet day of experiencing life as it is right this instant. For every detail of it. Even for the shoes piled up in front of the door.

If I could make just one promise to myself, it would be to savor these days. To own every second that ticks by as time marches on and my children grow up before my very eyes. I think sometimes I feel pressure to do something spectacular with my children each day – grand gestures to enlighten and delight, to provide a framework for their future success. But the reality is, for my little ones (and probably for yours, too) the most grand gestures of all that we can offer them might appear to us as mundane. Sitting down to read their favorite stories for the umpteenth time. Dancing like a fool in the living room to their favorite songs. Taking time out of a busy day to play a game with them or to make a batch of cookies (and to not cringe at the mess made in the process!). To just be here, to be completely present. To let them know that they matter.

It is often said that a child’s success starts at home. I hope that for my children, a passion to appreciate the small things in life will someday open doors for their greatest achievements!