Mom life: learning to see the beauty of today

"While we try to teach our children about life, our children teach us what life is all about." 

-Angela Schwindt 

Motherhood can feel chaotic, non-stop, unpredictable and well, insane. On any given day there are so many highs and lows, I don't know how to express them in words. But sometimes the highs come in the smallest of ways. And they truly bring me the most JOY behind motherhood.

Effortlessly, children have a natural sense of the present moment. The smell of a flower, the sound of a rock plopping into the water, the breeze from pedaling fast on a bike.

Oddly, so much of adulthood spins away from the present moment. It's complex. Tackling big decisions, managing tasks, coordinating schedules, planning for the future or rethinking something from the past. Throw in distraction from the noise of constant communication and it can be so tough to embrace the present!

With the two very separate worlds, I recognize a choice. Not to choose one world or the other, but to embrace and learn from my children so I can do a better job at 'adulthood.' While I can't control who or what comes my way, I can learn to control my reaction. Instead of racing along to get the task completed, I can become more aware of it. Letting go of expectations and feeling gratitude for today. Recognizing I can be proactive with finding these moments makes me more deliberate.

My four year old learned how to ride her pedal bike last year. But with winter, it has taken some serious practice to get her back into the seat. I've had moments these past few weeks where I thought I should simply give up. She hadn't reached the intended 'destination' I had planned, so why bother continuing the journey?

But then she woke up one morning asking to go and sure enough it clicked. She felt comfortable, confident and ready to fly. She giggled, pedaled fast to feel the wind, then pedaled slow so she could ask all kinds of questions. "why do ducks like the water so much?" "where do the bees live?" "if I eat a bug, will it hurt?" "if the bug is in my tummy, is it still alive?" "do bees make ALL the honey?" "then do bees make the honey we eat too?" I couldn't help but laugh and smile from her simple curiosity.

But I had to be willing to hear her. Let go of the 'adulthood' part of life, accept being in today and breathe. Enjoy not only her 'destination' but the entire journey and embrace it. Embrace her.

I recognize it's a daily choice to choose trust and faith over fear and doubts. Memories like these are opportunities for me to remember it is worth the effort, and to simply keep trying.