Life is the Small Moments
As I prepare for my trip to China, I'm again reminded of how blessed I am. I get to travel, eat great food, work at a job that challenges me, and be loved by wonderful people. So often on this blog, I document the big things: trips and meals and time with too-infrequently seen loved ones. All of these things bring immense happiness into my life. But they are the uncommon happenings of what is really a most common life. The extraordinary moments, though wonderful, are not the moments that determine my happiness. Rather, I've learned that joy rests in noticing the small moments, the forgettable ones, the seemingly insignificant ones. Today's post is about acknowledging these moments: It's 5 am yoga where I learn to love my body despite its imperfections.
It's the blessedly short drive to work during which I can daily appreciate the beauty amid which I live.
It's cuddles, kisses, and excited full-body wiggles from Sydney.
It's watching the sunrise and sunset and stars from my own backyard.
It's that moment at the beginning of a therapy session when I'm reminded that I have the opportunity and the privilege to help someone create a better life.
It's drinking my morning coffee and contemplating the upcoming day.
It's the process of preparing a beautiful, delicious, and healthful meal while listening to music too loudly and dancing quite poorly.
It's getting so wrapped up in a great book that I forget where or when or who I am.
It's the infinite group text with two of my best friends and hilarious conversations with my brothers.
It's chocolate peanut butter ice cream or a glass of wine. Or both.
It's cookies made just for me by a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. And it's watching those sweet kids play outdoors with abandon.
It's knowing that despite my distance from family, I have a friends who are like family who live nearby.
It's sunshine and blue skies whether in the mountains or by the ocean.
It's feeling that place in my heart that will always call Arkansas home.
Ultimately it's these moments - the mundane, the everyday, the sometimes redundant - that determine the tenor and tone of my life. And what a lovely life it is. What are your small moments?