Soaking it all in.

I have been pausing a lot in life lately. Giving myself a chance to soak in all of the goodness that I am surrounded by. Giving myself a minute to focus on the good instead of dwelling on the bad. Letting myself feel OK with just being in the moment and breathing. 

So I don't miss all of the special little moments that surround me. Or overlook the wonder of the experiences that we have the privilege of being part of on a daily basis.

Like instead of focusing on being in the hospital and all that recovery will entail when we leave, I focused on my son getting the awesome opportunity to meet Yadi the touch therapy dog. 

Or instead of being annoyed by all of the work that it took to make it, I stopped to enjoy the beauty of the home-cooked meal that I had created.

Instead of asking my kids to get off the kitchen floor and out of my way, I stopped to notice that they looked like cats chasing the sun.

Instead of rushing off to do one thing or another when my son was finally asleep, I sat and stared at his perfect little face while he quietly slumbered.

Instead of fearing for my ankles and the ankles of all of the other unlucky shoppers my son was about to maim, I took the time to see how happy he was to be in charge of the grocery shopping.

I soaked in the beauty of a day out with my son with no interruptions.

I realized how small my daughter still is even though she is the "big girl".

I stopped to see joy and happiness in my children's faces, instead of hurrying on to the next attraction.

I let myself actually feel pretty and happy with who I am. No waiting until I changed this or that. Just being happy with the now.

I realized that the relationship my children share is special. And amazing.

I stopped to see how absolutely beautiful this face was when it is deep in concentration.

I let loose and let llama.

I took a moment to breathe in the deep love that my children have for each other. Even when they are fighting.

I even stopped to smell the clydesdales on a run (maybe a bit of a mistake...).

These small moments have been life-changing for me. None of them are newsworthy, but they have shaped who I have become over the few months: mindful. Of who I am and all that I have. Of the ability I have to change things for the better. How smalls changes can have big impacts. They are reminders that even when it seems like nothing is good in this world anymore, that maybe all you have to do is dig a little deeper. Or be a little more still.

What about you? What small things have been big moments for you lately?

If you want to keep up on my small moments, follow me on Instagram.

If you share this post, I will buy you a pony. I suck at Twitter. I am OK at Facebook. Pinterest is my bitch. I am also on Bloglovin'.