Be in the moment.

It was a couple weeks after Max's birth, when I was speaking with my brother, explaining to him how I was feeling about all the changes of motherhood and Max.  He offered his advice in these words, 'Just be in the moment.  Dont worry about tomorrow or ten years from now.' 

Wow.  I had no clue how to do what he had told me.  And truth be told, I couldnt help but say to myself, how ridiculous of an idea.  I hate to say that I am wrong, as everyone does.  But in this case, I owe it to Andrew.  I was wrong.  BOY was I wrong! 

Max forces me to be in the moment.  He forces me to stop and smell the roses and to enjoy him for what he is at that moment.  I was packing away some of the newborn clothes, knowing he'll never wear them again and I was feeling sad.  For the first few weeks of his life, I was a mess, he was getting used to being alive and we were both getting used to each other.  I look back on that time and I am so thankful I took pictures, because its all a blur. 

A friend gave me this book, as a gift, I Was a Really Good Mom before I had Kids.  The last chapter was about living in the now.  Here are their seven simlpe ways to enjoy the here and now:

1.  Living in the moment means adjusting some of your expectations.
2. Dont fight the stage you are in.  If its a challenging phase, know that it will pass quickly.  If its a blissful phase, cherish it, because it will also pass quickly. 
3.  Every moment is a valuable moment no matter how seemingly mundane.  Some moms use folding laundry as their time for meditation.  Maybe there's a task you dont love that you can turn into something meaningful.
4.  Look at things through your child's eyes and the world will change.  The simple things that inspire them can stop us in our tracks and inspire us too.
5.  Just be.  Right now.  We focus on doing so much of the time that we forget to acknowledge our blessings. 
6.  Remember what feels so important now, will later feel inconsequential.
7.  The simple, basic rules are what will be imprinted on your children forever.  Rather than the great big flashy fifth birthday parties, what they'll carry with them are the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you two shared every day after school. 

I am working on #5 currently.  Not doing so much, eliminating the unnecessary errands, finding more efficient ways to get the jobs done (for example, used Peapod for groceries this past week.  Found that the time I would have spent in the store, I was down on the floor with Max encouraging him when he was working on rolling over.  I will cherish that forever). 

In this moment, I am feeling very grateful.  I am gearing up for the short but super busy work week.  And I am hungry. 

Comments

[emily (justem)]

Great post! :) :)