If we are truly honest with ourselves, we can probably all say that there have been moments in our parenting, in our marriages and in our lives in general that we have truly wished would pass quicker than they seem to be moving. In those times we wish we could tap the top of the hourglass, hoping to help the sands of time fall a bit quicker. The moments and hours drag on...
- Little ones having tantrums.
- Spouses bickering and snapping at each other as life brings them challenges to overcome.
- Elementary school kids and homework battles.
- Jobs, home responsibilities, family stressors, finances.
- Teens and boyfriends/girlfriends, driving, high school drama, driving, graduating and college stress.
- Trying to keep our fort... errr... thir... ok... trying to be as healthy and look like we did in our pre-children, pre-life days.
In those moments that seem to be countless and unending, that seem to defy how we understand time to move, the moments that we are tired and weary - we wish we could speed the hands of time to the hour that we finally feel content.
Here's the problem...
Happiness is a speedy and lofty prey. We will never catch it if we are chasing it.
Life goes on in a forward moving direction and at a fixed pace. It's the laws of time and space that we have no control over. That forward motion includes stepping through and experiencing each moment, even the tough ones. Wishing for the quick passing of those tougher times, looking and hoping for contentment to come in the next moments, robs ourselves of happiness and wastes our efforts. If we choose not to look for contentment and happiness in the moments we are currently living, we have let a precious gift slip through our hands. A gift that will out run us. We will be left looking behind us, wishing we had savored the moments of joy, the moments of light, and the contentment that were present all along.
In your tough moments today, look around you and find something you can savor. Take off your racing blinders that keep you focused on what happiness the future may hold. You will see that in the here and now, in the midst of challenge, happiness lives if we let it.
Here's the problem...
Happiness is a speedy and lofty prey. We will never catch it if we are chasing it.
Life goes on in a forward moving direction and at a fixed pace. It's the laws of time and space that we have no control over. That forward motion includes stepping through and experiencing each moment, even the tough ones. Wishing for the quick passing of those tougher times, looking and hoping for contentment to come in the next moments, robs ourselves of happiness and wastes our efforts. If we choose not to look for contentment and happiness in the moments we are currently living, we have let a precious gift slip through our hands. A gift that will out run us. We will be left looking behind us, wishing we had savored the moments of joy, the moments of light, and the contentment that were present all along.
In your tough moments today, look around you and find something you can savor. Take off your racing blinders that keep you focused on what happiness the future may hold. You will see that in the here and now, in the midst of challenge, happiness lives if we let it.
Agreed! As someone who has faced time running out, I have learned to try not to rush through things....I know that I want to savor every moment that I am here...even the tough ones....
ReplyDelete