LIVE!

Now that I know EVERYTHING …at least in the eyes of my 4 year old daughter;)

I’m finally 13,095 days old and I’ve just discovered that I want to LIVE, really LIVE. I want to stop caring what everyone else will think of me, worry about if I’m doing things right, no longer be a victim of my cell phone that monopolizes my time, hence my life;) Instead, I want to embrace the moment and LIVE.

I woke up an hour early today to the beautiful sunshine outside my window and birds chirping – a refreshing sign after the snow last night (that wasn’t an autocorrect mistake friends – we’re actually having snow in DC – mid April). As if hibernation was over, I felt an overwhelming sense to ‘JUST DO’.

I’m a writer at heart and have several projects I’m working on – books, shows, movies. My creative mind can never rest and my day gets lost in capturing photos of my two favorite subjects while trying to organize a home, that I’ve realized will never be clean. All of that equals never being able to check the important things off my do to list.

Maybe my Mom had me watch the Sound of Music too much as a child, but I have this desire to frolic in the field with my kids, to hear their laughter as we sing, dance and play all afternoon living in the Pottery Barn Kids’ Catalog, that I one day envision will be my home. Life’s not like that, I know… but I at least want to try to give it my all and stop thinking that I’ll make those memories with my kids ‘next week’ because all too soon, the days are gone. My house isn’t going to look at me at the end of my life and say, “Good job on your attempt to keep me clean.” The legacy I leave behind will be my children. What will matter is how I’ve taught them to treat others and themselves.

All around me, I see that life is fleeting. My Dad had a massive stoke at age 50, just 4 short years away from the age my sweetheart is now. My Mom died at age 56. Countless Facebook posts share prayers for their small children, the same age as my daughter, that are battling cancer and many are losing the fight. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, much less today but right now, we have this moment and in this instant, we have everything we need to be who we were created to be and to LIVE, fulfilling our true purpose here on earth.

It occurred to me this morning that I shouldn’t wait for things to be perfect in order to start living. I need to take advantage of each opportunity to squeeze in the important stuff throughout my day. God doesn’t care that I’m on my knees praying by my window each morning. I can lay in bed next to the precious gift he bestowed on me and thank Him for all of His blessings. I don’t have to put off writing until the day where I’m up in the middle of the night and it’s finally quiet, I can take an hour this morning and pour out my thoughts on paper. When my children want my attention and I just want to create a clean space to breathe, I can inhale knowing it probably won’t be clean for another 17 years and use that oxygen to play with my kids, therefore getting my exercise and accomplishing more than I would otherwise.

Then I’ll be able to experience the precious moments, the ones that come when my daughter whispers to me, “I know EVERYTHING” (because she just turned 4). I’ll be able to say, “If there’s ever anything you don’t know, you can always come to me and I’ll teach you.” I’ll smile at her innocence when she responds, “Can you teach me everything tonight?” And when I whisper, “not tonight.” I treasure her response, “Tomorrow?”

Yes, my sweet child. I will teach you everything I know with every opportunity that I have because I know that we’re not guaranteed tomorrow so we LIVE today. Happy living people! Please share what you’ve done to embrace the day, the hour, the minute, the moment that is your life;) I used my morning hour to write this – I hope that it blesses your life and inspires you to truly live

xoxo

#live #living #embracinglife #beingamom #kids #livinginthenow