Life

Life - noun - the general or universal condition of human existence.

I was reminded again yesterday of the overwhelming desire to fast-forward life to a time that is not so chaotic and irritating.

I had a teeth cleaning scheduled for the early afternoon and my mom graciously came up to watch the kids. My mom arrived and we took the kids upstairs to get them down for their naps. I went to open the bathroom door and it was locked. Lauren had locked the door and then shut it - no one was inside the bathroom. Since Josh is getting his eye teeth and in a whole lot of pain, I really needed to get him some ibuprophen - IN the bathroom! I tried to unlock it by sticking things in the little hole, but nothing was working. So, I had to unscrew the doorknob and take it off. This may not sound like a big deal, and in reality it wasn't. But I was so irritated with her and it didn't help that I was going to be late for my teeth cleaning. Generally I wouldn't care THAT much about being a little late, but when your husband is the dentist, it's a little embarrassing! Plus, it just added one more obstacle in the day. Anyways, the door got opened, the medicine got consumed, the kids got put to bed, and mommy got on her way.

As I was driving I was just so irritated with Lauren. And I felt guilty about this. After all, she is only three. How can she be expected to understand the events that were put into play by simply turning the funny looking switchy-thingy on the doorknob? But my irritation with her and the situation would not go away. I was flipping the channels on the radio and on the country station the song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Atkins was playing. I have included the lyrics below, but basically the song is about enjoying the time that is now and not trying to "fast-forward" through life. I struggle with this every day. I always think that it will be so much better once the kids are in school. I KNOW this is not the case. It will always be busy and stressful, just in different forms. And then the mommy-guilt kicks in.......what kind of a mother wants to fast-forward through her child's life? There is also a movie that relates directly to this - "Click" starring Adam Sandler, who is dad and an architect who, whenever life gets difficult, he has a magic remote control that he can fast-forward through the difficult times. And, of course, he ends up fast-forwarding through his entire life. So, silly as it may seem, this turned out to be a very significant movie for both Brian and myself. A few months ago when we first saw it we were both in the "hurry up and get on with everything" mode. We do not want to fast-forward through our lives and miss out on Lauren, Josh, and Baby Kraby growing and learning. But it's such a hard balancing act. How is it possible to achieve all your goals and yet be able to enjoy the things around you and have a true appreciation of life? I guess it is all one day at a time......

So, I guess my mommy-mantra of the day is to get out of "the moment" and try and appreciate (notice how I did not say 'enjoy') all the little obstacles in life.

I know that when Lauren is graduating high school I will wish she was three and locking the bathroom door at a really inconvenient time all over again!
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You're Gonna Miss This - by Trace Atkins

She was staring out the window of their SUV
Complaning, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"
She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her "It's a nice place"She says "It'll do for now"
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me. I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"