Spinning in the Moment

    I had a bit of an epiphany the other day. It seems to me that these eye opening moments often happen at the strangest times. It can happen when I am doing something routine or mundane. It can happen when I am doing something silly and seemingly insignificant with my children. This was the latter.
    Me and my sweet little Zoey were dancing around the living room. Let me start by saying that this is normal behavior in my house. Me and the kids break into random song or dance almost every day of the week. I am sure most people would think we are a whole house full of crazy people. I am inclined to agree most of the time:) But I digress....
    So, me and Zo were dancing to "Change the World" by Eric Clapton and Babyface. This wasn't a song I chose on purpose. It just happened to be on one of those cable music channels. We were doing our best version of a waltz. I had her in my arms and were were making full use of our tiny living room. She loves every minute of our "sophisticated and elegant" movements that are occasionally interrupted swooping turns. Hey, I watch "Dancing With the Stars". Momma's got moves.... These big turns are her favorite part. Every now and then I go ahead and spend extra time on those spins, much to her delight and to the chagrin of my inner ear which is so sensitive I can get motion sick just watching a movie.
    About midway through our dance and I am about to start spinning her again. She lets go and throws her head back and stretches backwards. She reaches her tiny little fingers out towards the air and closes her eyes. And then a big smile spreads across her face. That is when it hits me. She might as well be flying all by herself right now. She is so lost in the moment that I am jealous. I feel my eyes start to well up as I realize something. I cannot remember the last time I just allowed myself to be in the moment. She just looks so.....FREE!! WOW! How amazing is that? To just be enjoying what is happening right here, right now. Not secretly thinking about laundry or dinner or that noise the truck has been making. Not pretending to be in a conversation while actually meandering off into my mental list of to do's.
   Later on once I put that fabulous and jovial little bundle down for her nap I started thinking about what being in the moment really means. We are all so busy. All the time. We are a generation of multi-taskers. So much so that I can envision myself as one of those cartoon robots who gets overloaded and short circuits. I imagine myself with smoke pouring out and springs and gears flying all over the room. I have realized that most of us feel like we are on a tilt-a-whirl all day long. We have way too much going on, way to much information flying at our brains and way to many expectations placed on ourselves.
   So how does one remedy the illness of modern society? This isn't a thesis, it is a blog:) I don't have an answer for that. I do have one simple idea. Slow down. Way down.
   At my house, I am making an effort to do that. It is time to stop rushing mindlessly from one task to the next. Some days I feel like I am fighting a losing battle with my family- conflicting personalities and time schedules. 3 people with a different set of demands, needs, requirements and hormones. And about 10 extended family with their own lists of expectations of little ol' me. I can't be everything to everyone all the time. Especially if I can't even take time to enjoy a few moments of sacred joy with my baby girl. So, once again I am taking life lessons from the precious babies of mine, this one courtesy of my Zo. Time to breathe, smile and just enjoy spinning in the moment.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 25, 2011 at 9:54 PM

    Once again, absolutely ADORE!! The entire time reading this in my head i scream "YEA!! EXACTLY!! YES!!" lol
    I find that there's time when Bryce just DEMANDS, "stop it silly woman, this is ME TIME! now, watch this." i drop what i am doing, cleaning, spazzing about,...sit on the floor and he starts to scribble, "talk", dance,..josey shares her insight on can goods and how they fit in a plastic tub so she can push them into another room so she can share her stacking and counting to "TWOOOOO!!!" And the light in their eyes when they feel they get that point across, when they fly,..WOW. The exact reason that i play music,..to chase those moments that feel like slow motion, that reveal things that you can't rush to,..
    Thank you :-D

    ReplyDelete
  2. dzjsmomMarch 25, 2011 at 10:12 PM

    YES! I love that about kids, that they sometimes force you to...STOP! I think they may be the eventual cure of my OCD:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. DarleneMarch 26, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    Cherie - love your post! And so true.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ripple Effect

   I am a child of domestic violence. Most people don't know that about me. I won’t specify who or when or where, because the details aren’t important. However, I spent a large part of my childhood in a home that was terrifying. It was a home that included an abusive alcoholic that made every day feel uncertain. Let me say from the beginning, this person never laid a hand on me. This person never mistreated me directly in any way that I can recall.   I witnessed the abuse of a family member for over 5 years. I was very young when it started, and unfortunately some of my most vivid childhood memories contain images violence. I don’t blame the person that I loved. That person has reasons why they were willing to accept this kind of treatment, and this story isn’t about them. That person is still a dearly loved and valued person, and that will never change. This story is about me.   This is the story of the little girl hiding behind the chair in the living room. A chil...
Read more

Treasure Box

Image
  Today, my Dane lost his first tooth. It had been loose for a few weeks, and it has become a daily routine to check it for "wiggleablilty". We have had discussions about pulling it, how much it might be worth to the tooth fairy, and why you need new teeth in the first place...("but these teeth still chew fine, Mommy").   As I pulled up to the curb to pick him up from school, I could tell he was excited about something. There is an expression he has when he is up to something, and he had that look. His eyes twinkle, and he is half smiling while sticking his tongue in the corner of his mouth. Hey, it takes a lot of work to look that mischievous. He bounces out to the car, and jumps inside. And then he grins. Not a the little one he had on the curb a few seconds ago. This one is so big and bright it could power a small city. And that little wobbly tooth is now an empty space. He presses a little purple treasure chest in my hand and says, "Look! The nurse gave me...
Read more