My dad gave me a book today.
“Stress is a Choice: 10 Rules to Simplify Your Life”
First rule is “Spot that Sprout.”
It asks the reader to find the sprout you need to focus on & to let the other things go, as much as you can.
I took from the short chapter that you want to focus on remembering that sprout. Making the sprout the priority in your life, while other issues/people/what-not get taken care of when you can take care of it.
One such sprout in my life is the Cheekers. I waited a long time to have him. 36 years to be precise. Quick do the math, you know you all want to. Due to having to work full time & having a commute of about 30 mins., I drop him off at daycare at about 7:15 am & pick him up about 5:45pm. That’s one heck of a long day for him & for me.
When we get home I usually make dinner, clean it up, give him a bath & then it is goodnight sweetheart.
Last night, we threw caution to the wind, decided to nix dinner and head to the pool. He had an ok day at school (Cheekers is what we loving refer to as a discipline issue…I’ll write more about that at another time) so his reward was to go to the pool.
I would like to say that it was just he & I for 90 minutes at the pool. It takes us all of 30 seconds to walk across the street & run to the big pool.
The joy I saw on his face as he jumped, repeatedly into the pool, into my arms or grabbing my hand, is a memory I will never forget. It was complete and utter happiness at spending time in the pool. He can’t swim yet but he’s trying. I got beat up a lot by flailing limbs & have a red, gooey eye this morning from chlorine but I had the best time watching my baby run from the side of the pool, yell “bombs away!” and splash into the pool trusting that I will catch him.
Had I focused on dinner, bills, food shopping because we are living in Mother Hubbard’s house, then this memory would not be. Instead I would have spent an evening shooing him out of my way, begging him to eat vegetables and telling him to stay by my side and to stop touching in the food store. I would have gotten to have a good time with my baby, just the two us and a memory of his smile for the rest of my life.
I will definitely be focusing on the sprouts in my life from now on.
This is an original post for Jersey Moms Blog. Meghan, a New Jersey mom, and her sprout(s) can be found at Meghan’s Mindless Mutterings.
This article touches so close to home. I find myself stressed out beyond belief, and I realize that it’s because I sometimes place priority on the wrong things in my life. Sometimes it’s important to take a moment to enjoy life’s little moments. I am taking time off from work to do just that, and I am truly enjoying the ability to spend so much quality time with my daughter. Thank you for sharing.