The Unimportant Moments
Unimportant moments. We all have them. They look different for each of us. These are moments that appear not to matter. Moments that are forgettable. But, often, they don’t have to be forgettable.
One of those moments happened for me on our Father’s Day adventure. It was getting to be later and we had walked about eight miles. My legs were tired and all I wanted to do was get to dinner, sit down, and enjoy a nice glass of iced tea. As we walked through a park next to the Puget Sound, Caleb got so excited by all the rocks within arm’s reach. We let him out of his stroller and watched as he explored the area. Gradually he made his way to the large rocks near the water, mesmerized by the way the waves were moving and hoping that he could jump in and swim.
As I sat on a park bench Nate went over near Caleb to ensure that he didn’t take the plunge into the water. To sidetrack him, Nate picked up small rocks and showed Caleb how to throw them into the water. My little boy wants to be just like his daddy so he immediately began picking up rocks and throwing them (in his own, special toddler way) into the sound.
I could have easily closed my eyes and taken a little snooze on the park bench. I could have pulled out my phone and check my Instagram. I could have even gotten frustrated that we weren’t continuing on our journey to the restaurant. This moment didn’t matter. This was an unimportant moment.
Instead I chose to be present. I chose to see what was happening in the unimportant moment. I saw my husband lovingly reaching down and teaching my toddler how to throw a rock into the ocean. I saw gentleness and tenderness as Nate looked at Caleb and instructed him. I saw love and admiration in the eyes of my son as he tried his best to impress his daddy. I saw the glee in my little man’s eyes as the rock he threw hit its mark and the pride he felt in throwing the rocks – even when they didn’t hit the water – because of the encouragement of his father.
I would have missed all this if I had chalked this moment up as unimportant. This moment was so important. I’m incredibly thankful I didn’t miss it.
I’m going to do my best to not miss future unimportant moments. Will you join me?
Your Turn:
Tell me about one of your “unimportant” moments.
Do you savor moments or do you jump over them?
