As adults, we often get so caught up in the “rat race” of life that we fail to truly enjoy or even appreciate life. Not necessarily in the grand ways – in the little, everyday ways. We don’t take the time to stop and acknowledge the little joys because we are so focused on our big responsibilities. Some would argue that it is best to focus on the big picture. To not let the little things distract you. However, I disagree.
One thing that I have been taught by watching and engaging with my son is that sometimes you really need to just step back and appreciate. To view the world through the eyes of a child.
You see, children have this really innocent way of viewing the world. To them, life is full of magic and wonder. Have you ever seen the way a child’s eyes will light up in awe at the sight of something as common as the sunset? Felt their genuine excitement at the beautiful colors painting the sky? Have you ever watched their glee as they caught sight of a squirrel for the first time, as it jumps from branch to branch above their heads? Listened to their peals of laughter as they laughed at the same joke for the 5th time – as though it became more amusing with each telling?
Children are able to undertake the serious tasks of learning about themselves, the world around them, and the ways in which they must navigate it. I mean, it can’t be easy having to learn to move, talk, read, write, think, solve problems, and the myriad of skills that set them up for the rest of their lives. However, they don’t allow this hard work to distract them from or rob them of their ability to enjoy the world and the many experiences it has to offer – however ‘ordinary’ those experiences may be.
When was the last time that you paused in your day and the took time to just look around? To be present and truly take in the things around you? I recently had a tough life situation arise. One which felt vastly overwhelming. My instinct, as an adult, was to throw myself into being busy. To work, work, work until I changed my situation. You would think that would be the best solution, right? However, what I found was that instead of things becoming easier, I simply became more overwhelmed. That was when I decided to take a page from the book of childhood. To the take time to appreciate the small things. To allow myself to be amazed by life and all that it has to offer. When I stopped long enough to enjoy the small things, it became a bit easier to face the big things.
I began taking walks and instead of simply being focused on getting from point A to point B, I enjoyed the sights and sounds along the way. I sat out on my porch and enjoyed the bounty of nature that is right outside my door. I stopped multitasking so much and actually focused on one thing at a time (which is another thing I have learned from my son). In short, I chose to be present in my life instead of simply focusing on getting through it.
Life is made up of days and we often focus on just making it from one day to the next. However, if we are so focused on mere survival that we forget to live, we will get to the end of our lives and realize just how much we missed that was right in front of us.
So I implore you – invoke the magic of childhood in your life. Every single day. All you have to do is open your eyes and look around. You might find that the bit of magic missing from your life has been all around you this entire time.
A professional word wrangler, mom to a superhero, and proud geek (circa 1985), Tiffany Hathorn can be found blogging at Single Mommy Warrior, traveling multiple universes (her favorite being the world of Harry Potter), binge-watching Netflix, or plotting world domination.