A dear blogger friend of mine was talking about perfect moments the other day, the twist being a little heavy on how she feels that her kids might be missing out because she is not inclined to do rough and tumble, get yourself dirty kinds of activities. I left a comment and went about my day. Yet her post has stayed with me.
I think we all struggle, whether we have kids or not, with how fully we are living our lives. Are taking enough risks? Are we stuck in a rut? Are we worthy of x, y or z? I'll admit that it isn't always easy to remember to carve out perfect moments between laundry and meals, cleaning and organizing, working and blogging. That said, I think there are simple moments between the chores that are exceptionally perfect: silly faces during a phone call, dancing in the kitchen while the noodles cook, whispers through a bathroom door.
Forgiving ourselves for our inability to take the kids backpacking in Taos or failing to make 26 frothy little cupcakes with pink swirls and silver sprinkles in time for the class party is not easy. If we aren't getting hung up on the perkiness of our parts or the tidiness of our house, we are finding other ways to minimize the accomplishments that we manage. Is there an answer? I really don't know, but a friend asked me a while back, "Amanda, did you ever think that maybe your life already is perfect?"
That question echoes for me in the darkest times, reminding me of the exquisite perfection in my life. I think we all can, if willing to take the time, find the perfection in our lives. Could be as simple as a beautifully made bed or an empty kitchen sink, but there is always something, some good. And that post the other day? It reminded me of achieiving perfect moments. I wanted to thank Joy, for while she may not have a camping trip planned, she prompted my own family to take a little trip filled with sandy, wet perfection.
Thanks for the joy, friend.
8 comments:
I try to give Ben some "moments" when I think of them. It's usually something simple, like last night he finished dinner while I was still working on the dishes. So I took his plate away and piled his high chair tray with soap bubbles. He ended up eating a lot of them, but he was happy and occupied for fifteen minutes. I even showed him how he could pile them on his head and it would look like a hat.
My mom always gave me "moments" like those. Something simple but out of the ordinary. It's one of the defining "what kind of mom do I want to be" things.
Perfection.
What I love most about the word is how we can each define it in our own way.
The way I see it, there's no shortage of things to be guilty about as a parent.
Sad, that.
I totally totally try too hard. I did not have a picture perfect childhood and oh how I try to ensure my kids have it. What I so often forget is that they already do because I try.
It is always wonderful to be reminded.
Looks perfect.
And thanks for making me think.
what a lovely and gracious post.
I LOVE reading your blog!!! Gosh, this one hit home - today we had a day where we all were super lazy (not including the hubby) - just did whatever we wanted, laughed, played, piled up dishes etc. nothing "really" got done except hanging with the kiddos! I know all have our moments of comparison of "are we doing it right?" and "are we making our kids the best that they can be?" we will never truly know - but I feel a mom who loves them more than anything else...you can't go wrong with that!
What a beautiful remender of what's important in life.
Thanks!
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