In the midst of my busy life, today I have the amazing opportunity to babysit for a 9 month old baby. She’s cute, she giggles, she smiles and she laughs and makes all those sweet baby sounds….she gives baby kisses and is allowing me to feel so much happiness.
It makes me a little sad that this era of my life is over, the era of being married and having babies, because I don’t think that I enjoyed it the way that I could have or should have. I was SO STRESSED. I was SO worried that I would make a mistake or be a bad Mom. Money was always an issue for us and so I was stressed about that too. I had a few happy moments along the way, but over all, I think that I wished it away and spent way too much time analyzing, trying, planning, worrying and not nearly enough time snuggling, soaking it all in and smiling.
I find myself longing for those boring days as a stay at home Mom where my busiest days were the ones where we had to go to playgroup and the grocery store, both in one day. For me, it felt so overwhelming at the time, little did I know how simple it really was. I wish that I had known that those were some of my happiest, easiest, most simple days.
I think this is a chance for me to realize that maybe right now, maybe today, is my happiest of days! When life gets more complicated, as I know it will, I will be able to look back and know that I enjoyed these days, the ones I’m in right now! I remember my Mom looking at pictures of herself at 40 and remembering how she thought she looked old and fat then, now she wishes she would’ve enjoyed looking in the mirror at 40.
I think it’s all a great lesson in LOVING where you are RIGHT NOW. TODAY. Appreciate it because it’s gone so fast. Try to soak it in.
Tomorrow will be a new day, with new challenges and lessons to learn.
Today, I’m with this sweet baby and I’m soaking it in because something tells me I’ll be at her wedding in 25 or 30 years thinking about how I babysat for her so long ago, when I was young and life was so sweet.
Since this is a Music Monday, I thought I would add a song that makes me feel nostalgic about my past and my childhood. I loved to listen to John Denver with my Dad and with my Grandma and during my 16+ hour labor with Skyler, I listened to this song over and over and over and it soothed me.
I suppose there are people out there who will think this song is super campy and cheesy but I for some reason, I LOVE this song. It evokes so much emotion in me. I love the words “let me drown in your laughter,” what a beautiful way to say that he wants to enjoy and soak it all in.
I hope you have a great week, enjoy where you are today and find a way to appreciate where you are right now because you will never be in this exact place, at the age you are, in this lifetime, ever again.http://www.calmchat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/1-15-Annies-Song.m4a