My Nephews Utterly Adorable Foot
I love babies, particularly baby feet. I don’t know why. I do know that babies in general remind me of simple things. It is a reminder that life is not complicated unless we make it that way and babies are the perfect symbol of such simplicity. Maybe it’s something only a parent can relate to, I cannot say. For me, babies bring to mind the things in life that we forget to notice, things so simple yet so perfect that our lives would be utterly incomplete without them. What are those things? You might think from reading this blog that I care the most about food, but not so! Food is just a great place to start.
The kinds of things we should think about are not things that are bought with money, they are not earned and they are not given to you. Yet, they are the things that make the foundation of your life stronger. They are so powerful that the very scent of something from you youth can trigger a flood gate of memories. So let me share some of my simple pleasures, the things that bring me more happiness than any car, any piece of jewelry, any pair of shoes…. (ok I might have to think about that one)… or even any day of work can give you. These are the things that we hear and see all the time but we rarely take the time to listen and watch. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The chill on my face from the first winter’s chill. The purr of my cat as they snuggle up close. The smell and feel of freshly washed sheets. The tears that come from genuine laughter especially from my children. The smell of toast in the morning along with the sound of the coffee brewing. A clear nighttime sky that allows me to ponder the universe. The warmth of someone snuggling up to you on a chilly morning before the rest of the house wakes up. These are just some of the things that I take time to notice and appreicate.
So my challenge to you is to make a change in your life, give yourself the gift of time to savor some of the things you have been forgetting to notice. don’t just grab the chicken out of the oven and slap it on the table. Rather, present it to the table. Take in the colors of the vegetables as you chop and dice. Let your hands run over the food so you know what you are offering yourself and your family to eat. Do you ever walk by a pool or a pond? Stop and put your hand in the water and feel it this time, don’t just see it in passing. What does it feel like, look like and better yet, did it inspire you in anyway? Think that sounds funny and it’s just not you? Then start a journal and write down quick notes every time you notice something or smell something you like. What did it remind you of? Did it inspire you at all?
At the end of the day, what are some of the things that gave you a moments pause? A quick smile or a funny thought. Usually we let them go because we are busy with other things. Notice the crackle of your fireplace and the warmth on your feet. Notice the new leaves of grass growing along the walkway and the sound of your shoes as you walk to your car. The sound of the wind or the rain, the smell of the ocean and the sand in your toes. These things tell you that you are alive. Start today, start living a life worth living and to do that, you must notice and appreicate these small things because they are all part of what makes us who we are. And if you are a parent, you will certainly pass this down to your kids because they watch and learn from you. So if you are taking the time to notice small things and point them out to them, they will do this as they grow and their appreciation of life will grow with it. This is the greatest gift you can give them.
So the next time you are around a baby and get to smooch on their feet, maybe you will get to hear one of the best sounds ever created, a babies giggle. It is perfect, bubbly, fun and filled with pure love and promise. It is something we spend our whole life losing, but we can change that, it’s time to find our way again. No matter what the mistakes of my life are (and we all have them), at the end of my life, I just want to be able to say that for me, I lived a life worth living.
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