Not So Ordinary Moments

It happened to be one of those crazy run out of the house days. We were running late and the kids were not cooperating. Things felt really chaotic and I was in such a hurry to get to work. I rushed the kids through breakfast and nagged them to get their boots and coats on.

They were having none of it. My little girl didn't want her hood. My little boy waited to find his toy spider, which just did not want to be found. I must have asked them to get their coats and shoes on 10 times.

Just getting out of the door was difficult and my stress level was rising.

Then came the chore of getting them in their car seats. Possibly, my least favorite thing to do all day!

"Hurry up!"
"We're gonna be late!"
"Get in!" "
"Sit down!"

After what seemed like a very long time, I got them strapped into their car seats and we are finally on our way. My mind going over my to-do-list for the day in my head.

As we pulled onto the road, my son asked what turns out to be a the most important question I have received in a very long time.

"Mommy can we go really slow to school?"

I pause and the think about how many things I still have to do. There's no time to slow down!  I should be driving faster! I have so much to do AND I still have to get you guys dropped off at school (none of this was said out loud, thank goodness).

His next line took my breath away.

"Because I want to be with you forever."

And then my heart melted.

And then I felt a little bit ashamed.

You see, dropping my kids off at school, was just another thing to check off my to do list. Something, I didn't really love all that much. It takes too long and quite truthfully it's exhausting to get them settled in.

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In all my rushing and hurrying this morning, I had forgotten, that even the time it takes to drop off my kids at school is a precious gift. It's not just something to check off my to-do-list on the way to something else.

So I thought about our car rides to school.

-Extra hug requests from their car seats,"huggies, huggies!" Most of them come when I am in the biggest hurry.
-The excitement when getting stopped by a train. "What kind is it?' They always ask.
-The awe of spotting a deer on the way to school.
-The request for their favorite songs (Right now one is- Any Dream Will Do-Joseph)
-My sons never ending questions about anything from the water cycle to where people go when they die, to how old elves have to be to work for Santa.
-My daughter in her own little world singing her own beautiful songs
-The kids pointing out things that interest them on the way into the school and to their classroom.

And then I remembered a powerful line from a book I read:

"There are no ordinary moments" 
-Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman.

Each of these little moments can be sacred if I take the time to make it so.

My kids still understand the no ordinary moment concept very well. Everything is still new and exciting to them. Each moments is a treasure of new sights, sounds, feelings and information. Thankfully, they have not become imprisoned by the demands of time and responsibility yet, as so many adults have. All that is important to them is that a car ride is another opportunity to spend time with me.

So, how did I handle this question? I took it as a gift from a very wise little boy and I listened.
And I slowed down. And for a little while the demands of time vanished. We talked, we sang, and we connected. When we pulled up to school, I took a deep breath. I didn't rush them when they wanted show me something that was important to them, I held their hands and I gave them extra hugs.

My little guy got an extra tight hug that day and I thanked him for being so sweet and reminding me of what's important.

There are no ordinary moments.

I encourage you to look for and recognize the not so ordinary moments in your life (the ones that would be so simple to overlook and take for granted). I think you'll be amazed at how much more special and beautiful each day can become!

What is your favorite not-so-ordinary moment? Love to hear about it!

In Wellness,



Wellness is made of the small choices we make everyday. What have you done today to embrace wellness?

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