Do you keep a daily journal? This year I’ve started recording little moments from our days in a “one a day” diary. Just a line or two each day, somewhere to record the hilarity that spills from R’s mouth on a daily basis that I never want to forget, or a milestone he has reached. It’s a wonderful way to end my day, to sit and reflect on the day and find one special moment, that one thing that makes me catch my breath a little. A moment that sparkles amidst the daily routine.
Some days this is easy. Our day has flowed contentedly, R and I have been connected and harmonious. We’ve played and made art and learned and explored. There have been cuddles and “I love you’s”. Forts have been built. Stories have been read (over and over and over again). Those days are wonderful treasures, but there are other days when I have to search more deeply for the “moments”. The days when I think to myself “but we didn’t do anything today”. The days when the house is in chaos and just when I clear up one mess, I turn around and find another discarded activity. The days when the meals I prepare with love are met with silence or simply rejected outright, before they are even tasted. The days when my patience is worn thin and coming from a place of love takes all the will power I can muster. The days when it is all too hard.
Those are the days that in some ways, fill me with even more gratitude and love than the easy days. The daily journaling has given me a shift in perspective. I seek and search and am determined to find that one precious moment, and just when I think there is none, a light comes on and I can see many. The discarded broken chalk is not a mess for me to clean up – it is beautiful and bright. Creativity and play and life has been happening here. That is a moment right there. The never ending mountains of washing are not a chore, they are evidence of messy play and digging in the garden and painting and trips to the park. That is another moment. Life is happening and I am blessed. Every day there is a reason to celebrate.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in our routines, and the rush of our lives, that things don’t seem to change from day to day, but when we finally stop to look back, everything has changed, and we never even noticed it happening. The daily journaling has made me more mindful. I find myself stopping throughout the day and saying to myself “remember this”. This moment right now is your reason to celebrate.
Do you struggle to find the special moments? Is it sometimes difficult to find the gift of an ordinary day? Shawn of Awesomely Awake had exactly that in mind when she created her latest e-course Cherish the Wow. Shawn is such an inspiration to me – her Abundant Mama e-course and her e-book The Playful Family have helped me celebrate the beauty in every day.
I was so honoured when Shawn asked me to contribute to her Cherish the Wow eCourse. I will be sharing one of my very special “wow” moments.
The Cherish the Wow e-course runs for 5 weeks and begins on March 18.
When you sign up for the Cherish the Wow e-course, you will receive:
10 Mindful Journaling Prompts.
10 Mindful Living Assignments anyone can do, anywhere.
10 WOW moments shared by mothers from around the world (including yours truly).
It is just $20 to join the course, and as Shawn says “all you’ll need for this course are an open mind & heart and a journal. The rest will arrive in your email twice a week.”
Photo credit for the first two photos in this post “D Sharon Pruitt” Thank you D Sharon Pruitt for sharing your beautiful Creative Commons photos!
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