The Simple Things

Blowing bubbles, chasing butterflies, throwing bouncy balls, running through the sprinklers, eating popsicles, riding bikes, picking up sticks, flying kites . These are a few of my kids favorite things ( I can hear the song in my head right now from The Sound of Music). It doesn’t take much to make them laugh. I savor these sweet days of innocence when life is magical and everything is exciting. Chicken nuggets make my kids happy. They think it is fun to get a cookie at the grocery store, take a walk to the neighbor’s house and swing at the park. Every day is full of new fun adventures.

They think frozen grapes, fruit juice boxes and chocolate chips are a treat to be cherished. They beg my husband and I to read books to them or to take them fishing. They love all of God’s creatures, big and small, cute and creepy alike.

Their favorite people on earth are Mom and Dad with all the Grandparents running as a close runner up . They like to play chase and hide n’ seek. They prefer to snuggle on the couch while they watch a show. And all they want at the end of their day is a song and a kiss before they go to bed.

One day in the not too distant future, things will change. And it will be Disney World, Sea World, and MGM Studios that light up their faces. It will take video games, cell phones, and ipads to get their attention. And it will be friends, movie stars, and famous athletes that they adore. It depresses me just to type all of that out.

But for now, I want to enjoy every moment I can. I want to take a deep breath and let it sink into my soul. I want to drink in their laughter and take a moment to close my eyes and just be.  We can learn a lot from our children.

Life is sweet. It is usually not the big things that make the most impression on us but the small, every day things that make our life complete.  Things like a cup of coffee (or tea) while watching the sunrise, taking a bubble bath, watching my kids learn how to swim, taking a family nap, reading a great book, laughing with a girlfriend, enjoying a picnic outside, painting my daughter’s nails, tickling my son’s belly, a really good piece of chocolate and a glass of wine (or tea) while sitting outside with my husband after the kids go to bed.

Us adults can make life too complicated but let us remember that often times joy is found in the simple things.