Because some days you just need to say ‘to hell with it’- whip your minivan around a roundabout, in an illegal u-turn, rummage for change in the bottom of your purse to feed a meter, hastily zip hoodies onto both kids who are now confused and excited as to what has come over their mother. Sprint hand-in-hand-in-hand across a parking lot, down some stairs, then flip off everyone’s shoes and balance them in all your fingers. Encourage everyone to sink their toes in the sand, run faster and harder with the kids now yelling ‘Mom! Mom! Are we really HERE?’
And stand breathlessly at the edge of the world just in time to see the sun sink into the Pacific.
If there is one thing being sick has taught me, it is to live in the moment. Remember tomorrow it could all be gone. Remember what is important as much as you can over the course of your regular, boring, routine of a day.
Say I love you, tell them how much they mean to you. Make sure you are there to show them the ocean, the stars, the flower on the side of the road as you drive on by.
Sing a silly song while stuck in traffic. Make up a secret handshake. Curl up next to your partner in the dead of night and kiss him softly while he sleeps, whispering how much you love him. Make a big deal of the tooth fairy, of a field trip, over his tiny act of helping his sister pick up toys.
Be proud, truly beam, and cheer with the kids, tears of joy in your eyes, as he crosses the finish line of a race. A race he didn’t train for correctly because he was caring for you and the family.
Encourage her to wear that princess dress to the store, and help her pick out shoes to match.
Tickle fight on the couch. Share made-up words at dinner.
And when faced with seeing a glint of blue out of the corner of your eye through traffic, always…ALWAYS whip the car around.
Park.
And breathlessly, barefooted, and giggling…chase that sunset.
Yup. Amen. Life is too damn short. I’ve definitely learned that since my mom got sick. Good for you Erin.
YES.
.-= schmutzie´s last blog ..This Aint No Lunch Counter- How to Cure Blogular Impotence And Remember Why Youre Here =-.
Mmm-hmmm.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Pendulum =-.
These sentiments just can’t be reiterated enough. I love this post so hard.
This is great. I love the photo too.
.-= erin´s last blog ..Late Night =-.
That’s precisely what I love about writing, it makes you live in the moment more and appreciate every nuance that occurs throughout the day.
What is one memory that your child brings up? My now 11 yr. old boy never forgets one summer night when I woke him up, only him, wrapped him in blankets and took him outside to watch the stars. “Let’s do that again some day,” he asks, and we will…soon.
Love this post!
Gorgeous! So very very true.
Lovely.
Last night I eschewed my computer time to play Go Fish with my kids and had one of the best Saturday nights I’ve had in months. These are the moments we take with us into eternity.
.-= Barnmaven´s last blog ..A Breakfast Poem =-.
Wow, tears in my eyes. Absolutely love this post.
Yes. Absolutely. Sniff.
.-= Daisy´s last blog ..Money Management and Teens =-.
Thank you for sharing the joys of “living with Lupus” ~ a simply perfect post!
You’re one of my favorite people for a reason. This is just one of those reasons. Carry on, sunshine, carry on.
.-= Derrick´s last blog ..Tom Thumb =-.
I agree 100% and do the same.When I got sick and was not able to do anything besides lay in bed I made a promise.If I was able to walk or take the kids somewhere everything else could wait
.-= dkmissie´s last blog ..Time for a post again =-.
yes.
Yes.
I could call you some really bad names right now, because damn, woman. The tears.
Maybe it’s because I just left the hospital and my aunt’s bedside, where she is lying there not knowing if she will ever again breathe fresh air or see an ocean.
Good for you for seizing the moment.
Yes.
We’ve had a few extravagances lately, these kids gave up a lot of time with us, I’m not prepared to waste any more of it.
.-= Jessica Gottlieb´s last blog ..A Homeless Man Died at the Kid’s School Today =-.
Beautiful. And very important.
Love that photo. Great post.
.-= Keane´s last blog ..PERFORMER MAGAZINE – Interview with Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl =-.
Amen. You’re totally right!
Sometimes we have to go through the “being sick” part to get to the “really appreciating everything” part ~ and impulsively loving the magic in life with all your heart. Awesome moment, Erin.
Awesome, truly, truly awesome. Do you know how lucky your kids are to have YOU for a mom? They are, you know.
*love* ~ Sprite
.-= Sprite´s last blog ..Political Reform- Blonde Style =-.
LOVE.
.-= Aimee @ Ain’t Yo Mama’s Blog´s last blog ..Mommy Blogging- On Creating Personal Boundaries Before Creating a Personal Blog =-.
Thanks for putting this in perspective. I’ve struggled a bit with it lately. You would think that I would never EVER take this for granted, considering the things I’ve had happen in my life, but that is the plight of humanity…we often lose our way, get wrapped up in the non-important and have to be oft reminded to pull our heads out and smell the roses before it’s too late.
.-= Loralee´s last blog ..This post was supposed to be ALL about Veteran’s Day- but it got a little sillyLike alwaysSigh =-.
The last few years of losses have taught me to live with no regrets. I may not end up rich at this moment, but my kids are having a blast as we run off to the ocean mid-week with Dad because no one has anything pressing in their schedule.
An impromptu trip to Portland with my Aunt and her grandaughter (too young for me to think of her as a cousin) will leave me with no sleep, but a heart full of memories.
I’m blessed to have a husband that understands these needs and agrees 110% with the notion seeing as he deals with everyone’s worst nightmares everyday as a fireman/emt. It’s all about today and I’m working hard at making every day count in my book as well. It feels wonderful.
SIDENOTE: crank the stereo in the car and dance with the kids at a light. Even my quieter son loves doing this. We dance crazy in our seatbelts and make everyone around us laugh hysterically. It’s great. Although hard to drive when you laugh that hard. lol
.-= Val´s last blog ..Hey- Random Sunday Two Weeks =-.
Yes – this is something I learned in the milli-second it took to be in a terrible car accident … and it’s something I’ve embraced every day since.
xo
.-= Twenty Four At Heart´s last blog ..Its Not a Shark =-.
I love this.
Thank you.
-A fellow sunset chaser
.-= Jenna Glatzer´s last blog ..Amazon Boycott- The Pedophiles Guide to Love and Pleasure =-.
i hope i can remember this when the time is right, for therein lies the crux. doing it and not just thinking about it. i’m glad you threw off your shoes.
I needed to read this. Thanks luv.
.-= JenB´s last blog ..Rowing on =-.
Yes yes yes oh hell yes. And thank you.
.-= Sarah Dopp´s last blog ..The Bees Awards- OMG FTW WTF =-.
Thank you for this. I think as long as you’re healthy (or think you are!) you do forget to live in the moment. You get caught up in day to day stuff, in a busyness that’s really unimportant. So these reminders are important.
I love this post and how true it is. We need to all remember to live in the moment more often.
When it comes down to it, life truly is about the simplistic and realness in every person, day and life surrounding you.