Something you have never done before.....

This past weekend taught me a lesson of sorts. How long the lesson will last.....well, that is another story, but.... I'm trying.

I am very prone with getting caught in the daily grind....same thing, day in and day out, to the point that I lose sight of what life is about. I know I am not alone.

I have to consciously tell myself to "slow down", listen to my kids (I mean REALLY listen to them), play with them like there isn't anything else I need to be doing, and to be present in each moment.


What is the saying......"Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." In my 30 years, I have found myself winded by the constant running through life, rather than from experiencing life.


But, hey, you are never too old to turn it around.


CASE IN POINT.

This past weekend the circus was in town. Of course, my children were on board, ready to go, excited about the opportunity. I however, was somewhat dreading it. OK, not somewhat dreading it. Completely dreading it. Nothing against the circus, but trying to keep two children sitting still and facing forward...... It made me tired just thinking about it. But I put on my excited face paired with my excited voice and proclaimed to my children, "We are going to the circus!"

My mom and I took the kids. Hubby refuses to go to the circus and give his hard earned money to people "profiting from the exploitation of animals..." I however was like, "exploit away!" if it entertains my children.

We asked my grandpa M (my mothers father) and my grandma S (my fathers mother) if they too, would like to come along.

My grandpa is always game for coming along for the ride.

My grandma stays home more and doesn't really enjoy large crowds, but had never been to a circus.

Both are 88 years old. EIGHTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD! 88!

I was excited about sharing this experience with my grandparents. But truthfully I worried a little about essentially having four children to look after, but I figured it would be worth it.

AND IT MOST DEFINATELY WAS!

In my grandparents eyes I witnessed pure joy at the sight of happy children, unabashed awe at the sights of the circus, and a childlike happiness that comes from the very nature of the circus itself. During many of the acts I found myself watching my grandparents instead of the performers, and was thrilled to see their mouths dropped open with the corners turned up in half smiles.


My grandpa told me that while his children were growing up he was too busy running his business to ever do anything like this with his children and now that they are grown he is finding himself at a circus with his great-grandchildren, something he never had time to do....or rather MADE time to do with his own.

Miss L decided that she wanted to ride the elephant.

Why not? I thought. It is something that she has never done before and something that she will always remember. I remember riding the elephant myself when I was younger. And do you know what? My grandpa M, decided that he too, had never ridden an elephant, and why not? "Might as well try it!" he said. "It is something I have never done before." And so we rode. Miss L, grandpa M and myself.

And in my grandparents first, I too, experienced a first. I got to see the circus through the eyes of someone who had stepped out of the daily rat race of life and let the moment take their breath away.

Comments

Amy said…
That is so wonderful. I hope you have many more days like that one.
Patience said…
Joy! Pure joy!
OhTheJoys said…
Wow. That really made me smile - especially having recently lost my grandpa. It made me smile that my grandpa lived, you know, got out and did things.
The Sour Kraut said…
Aren't those kind of days wonderful?

I too feel like I am always in high gear moving too fast through life.

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