The Gift Of An Ordinary Day

I came across this video and thought I'd pass it along.

I really do try to live in the tiny moments of everyday but it is always a balancing act and some days are more successful than others. Yes, the housework isn't going anywhere but it sure can get out of hand enough to not be able to relax and enjoy being in your own living space. I also know good and well that 10, or even 5 years from now I'm going to look back and miss things that are happening at this point in our lives, but that doesn't mean that I don't still crave the peace and independence of my nightly alone time while my boys are asleep.

This video was beautiful. It made me tear up, it made me want to slow things down and it made me hug my baby a little more often today. It reminded me how they are little for such a short amount of time and how before I know it, and possibly before I am really ready, our nest will be empty and I will have more free time than I know what to do with. I still want to strive for a balance, which is a daily juggling act and something always ends up falling by the way side, but it is good to have reminders to truly cherish all of the small, ordinary moments. The tiny moments during which you are so caught up that you don't even think to grab a camera. Today's moments were when Ayden was sitting with a book and patting the floor next to him saying, "Please?" or in his words, "teeeeese??? When we were out drawing with sidewalk chalk and he gets up, grabs the chalk bucket by the handle and starts heading to the horses and made his cute horse noise all the way there.

Can you guess which one is Mommies and which is Aydens??

When he climbed up on a bench at the dance studio and was so excited and proud of himself once he was settled in and eating his snack like a big boy. When he "took care of me" by feeding me bite after bite of his snack because that's what we do for him. There are countless moments throughout the day that are so easy to experience with blinders on. Fleeting moments that will quickly be forgotten if you don't take time to marvel at them as they happen.

Reading his Easter card "book" from his Grandma and Grandpa

I think with a healthy balance in place, all members of the family unit are happy and open to truly cherishing the sweet moments during an ordinary day. Something David and I try to do whenever one of us is feeling off kilter, or if Ayden is fussy/clingy, is to step back and evaluate our routine and schedule. We try to pinpoint any specific aspects that may be causing stress or strain and brainstorm ways to fix them. Things seem to have a natural fluctuation and flow. If we don't acknowledge the natural changes, and make our own changes accordingly, we start to experience an underlying feeling of uneasiness or stress. That is our cue to make a couple of changes as a family unit. "Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape."

How did the video make you feel? I'd love to hear your reflection in the comments below!

~Sarah