A Moment for Moms by T.R. McClure

There is a picture in my mind of me standing at the kitchen sink. One of my toddler twins sits on the edge of the lower cupboard door while the other munches on a graham cracker. I am working. They are having fun.


We are often told to "be in the moment", to participate in what's going on around us. But as any adult of pre-retirement age knows, sometimes it's just impossible! Maybe as an alternative, we could be "out of the moment". In other words, step back from whatever you are doing and just observe.

When the girls were small, my mother in law would often say to me, "Enjoy them while they're little. They grow up so fast."

Everybody says that, yet how often do we listen? Life goes by at warp speed.

As a grandmother of eight months, I hear myself telling my daughter the same thing, while recognizing she is just as busy as I was at that age.



Maybe, just maybe, we can combine the two. There is, of course, something to be said for participating in our children's activities. Playing ball in the backyard or seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time are memories for each generation.

Sometimes it's fun to sit back and watch, to take a minute, or five, from the dishes, or the work email and observe. Take a picture with your mind and it stays with you forever. Better than a photograph, it won't fade.

Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.

As always, enjoy the read...and the moment.
T.R.
www.trmcclure.com
www.facebook.com/trmcclureauthor



Comments

  1. Sometimes the simplest advice is the hardest to follow. This is a beautiful reminder to savor the moments that matter - the moments spent with the most precious people in our lives. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Oh, how right you are! All these years go by in a blink, yet when you're schlepping kids from soccer to ballet to Bible School, it seems never ending and exhausting. Then the next kind of exhausting comes along--college and graduations. Stepping OUT of the moment is the best. Just stop. Breathe and smile. That snapshot you took will last. Promise. Great post and lovely way to start the day!

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  3. I like your idea of being "out of the moment". Maybe that's something we should try and do at least once every day :)

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  4. Enjoying the moment is something I appreciate so much more in my aging years than when I was younger and life was hectic, yet even now I sometimes need reminders, such as this very nice post, T.R. And the excitement of grandmotherhood a few months from now fills a lot of my current moments!

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  5. You are so right about time flying by in the blink of your eye. At the age now where I'm beginning to lose people in my sphere, I ruminated on this very thing last week as I attended a funeral. I came home and looked through old photo albums and couldn't believe how much time had passed. When folks say "stop and smell the roses", it's wise advice. Thanks for the reminder.

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  6. "Out of the moment"--nice. I find that daily practicing gratitude helps to put the hectic, detail-riddled woop and warf of life in some kind of perspective. Best!

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  7. Such wise advice. I started deep meditation a few years ago and even go to a group session every few weeks. The benefits are amazing, but even on a routine/daily basis, it has taught me to pause...to just stop, breathe, take it in. Those are the best moments, aren't they? So many people these days are go, go, go and probably don't even 'stop' enough in their sleep to get a good night of rest!

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  8. That's something I love about sailing. You're away from most technology (water+klutz gene=trouble for phones and ipads) and there's just the sound of the wind, the water all around, and time to just be still. Well, until spouse decides to trim the sails or tack, but there are moments. ;)

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  9. Out of the moment. I love that. When life was so hectic, I looked forward to the weekends, the vacations, the breaks. And now my kids are grown and it went by so fast. Those moments when I stopped and watched are treasures.

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  10. As I have just one, 13 now, I have always told myself to enjoy the moment, but how did he get my height!!!! when did that happen????? Why are the lego posters off his wall???? And, the smell. He smells different. Waaaaa. I want another one.

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    Replies
    1. When I had two teenage boys, the smell was a mix of BO, dirty socks and doritos.

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