One Little Word

Creative genius Ali Edwards created the One Little Word challenge where you chose a word to center your life. Last year, she urged her readers to make their word visible in their life. I was trying to decide on a word when I first heard of the challenge in December. The first word that came to mine was: survive, but I somehow doubted that this should be the "encouraging" word I should focus on for the next twelve months. With two itty-bitties under two, it is sometimes all I can do to just survive through the day, or until Mr. gets home from work, or until nap time. It can be rouuuugh. However, I decided for 2014 I didn't want to just survive. Things are getting way easier (in some ways), but things are still hard with two little boys running (or crawling) around and exploring every little thing they can get their itty-bitty fingers on. I decided that instead of surviving the now, I need to live in the now. I need to enjoy the now because before I know it, the now will be fleeting. I won't ever have a curious two-year-old Big with his little nine-month old exploring companion again. But I do have that now.

So I decided that that is my word: Now. I need to learn to focus on the now. Appreciate the now. Love the now. Even in those moments when I am just trying to survive, I am learning to take a breath and know that this is just for the now. One day, Big will stop throwing his food on the floor at every single meal, but he will also stop making silly faces when he tries something new. One day, Little will sleep without waking up in the middle of the night, but I will miss the quite moments rocking him back to sleep. One day, I will miss these little moments, but right now, right now these moments are mine to treasure.