This time of year is full of the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Between shopping, holiday programs, and parties, there's little time for much else. But, at what expense? For many children the holidays are a magical time, so why is it, when we are adults, we miss out on that magic? I'll tell you why....we are TOO busy. In our mission to find the perfect present, we plow right through the most important thing...being PRESENT.
I had this slap me in the face, this morning, as I'm doing what most moms do on a school day morning. It's the typical multi-tasking malaise as I'm cleaning up from breakfast, preparing a sack lunch and my mind is all over the place. "I should probably pack my own lunch, too. I am going to gift a Mommy-Daughter day this year. Where would we go? We should do a craft outing. Shoot, all her paints are dried up, she needs paints. I need to put paints on my shopping list. I need to put milk on my shopping list," my brain rambles on. All the while, my 6-year-old is telling me all about the movie she wants to see at the theatre, what she would want as a movie snack and what characters are in the movie. Did I miss something? I caught something about Disney and a Princess, but that's it. Ugh. I realized how disconnected I was.
I step back and crouch down to look at her at eye-level. Apologies do not always come easy when addressing this age, due to their brutal honesty. "I am so sorry. I was very busy cleaning up from breakfast and missed what you said," I said sheepishly. "Well, Mom, you just weren't listening." she stated. She was right, I heard her, but wasn't listening.
To often, we think our productivity is a good thing, and in the meantime we miss the magic. Being mindfully present isn't always easy, but it's necessary to achieve the balance in our lives we lack this time of year. It's about your presence, not the presents. Today, I strive to be more connected and present with the people, situations and opportunities in my life. I hope you can find the same in your day.