This has not been my favorite week.
I haven’t felt well. My weekly weigh-in was discouraging. I’ve been grouchy and tired. My family has been irritating. It’s just not been a great week.
Right now I’m sitting on the couch, next to a pile of stuff – papers and forms and STUFF that needs to be dealt with. I’m looking at the floor, covered in toys and Goldfish crumbs, debating picking it up or just ignoring it. I’m reminding myself that if I don’t change laundry at least once tonight I’ll have to do it tomorrow, and I’m wishing my baby girl would quit crying and GO TO SLEEP already. Because I’m sorry she’s sad and I wish I knew why she’s awake and upset, but I also can still feel the bite on the inside of my arm that she gave me at bedtime.
But I’m also watching Dirty Dancing, and it’s hard to stay too upset when you’re watching Dirty Dancing.
Smitty loves movies. We joke all the time that she needs to keep a list of all the movies I haven’t seen, because it’s not unusual at all for a movie to come up in conversation, me to admit I haven’t seen it, and Smitty to gasp in shock at my movie ignorance.
Still, even if I haven’t seen all her movies, I know that Smitty loves movie moments. Not the big moments everyone remembers and quotes and turns into GIFs or YouTube favorites. No, she notices and remembers tiny little moments that speak to her, that are special to her.
Dirty Dancing is one movie that we’ve both seen dozens of times. And while we can quote practically the whole movie, there’s one special moment we both love. (It’s when Johnny sings a line of, “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” to Baby in the final dance scene, if you’re wondering.) That moment cancels out all the dumb parts of the movie (yes, I can admit there are a few, mostly when Baby speaks) and is what comes to mind every single time someone mentions the movie.
I’ve written before about how I learned about moments from sports talk radio when I heard a football commentator say a team only has to win enough moments (not all four quarters) of a game. In essence, he said, life is hard but as long as you can find enough winning moments, you’re doing all right.
My friend (and co-author!) Sara loved moments, too. She said, in a post about surrendering rather than adapting to her illness and limitations:
I see every moment of my life now, both the difficult and the joyful, as moments to be embraced. Because I know that God is in the middle of all of them. He is in the center of my storms and my blessings. He sees it all with eyes that know and understand and foresee the purpose of my situation. And I want what He wants.
Sara wrote in another post that moments are her favorite things. And I’d have to say that I feel the same way. It’s why I used to scrapbook. It’s why I blog about my family and adore Facebook. It’s why I try to remember our family gratitude journal.
And it’s why, despite the clutter and the crying and the biting and the bickering that has made up so many moments of my week (and my RIGHT NOW, *sigh*), I can say it’s still been a good week. Maybe not my favorite, but good enough. Good enough, because I’ve had enough great moments:
- Learning to make queso blanco
- Listening to Annalyn play her piano recital song that finally sounds like a song
- Watching Adrienne realize that the stuffed animal in her toybox and the red monster on TV is the same “M’Elmo”
- Laughing hysterically with my three favorite people at dinner
- Getting an hour to talk to Mark without interruptions
- Going to see The Avengers in the theater
- Writing a color-coordinated to-do list in a new notebook
- Choosing a salad instead of a burrito
- Having a clean house for at least seven minutes straight
- Hearing “I Can’t Dance” by Genesis on the radio and remembering how much I loved that song
- Reading a note from Annalyn’s teacher about my “smart cookie” of a daughter
And so many more. Now that I think about it, I could list another 10 beautiful moments from the past week in a snap. Even though my house is still a mess. And my baby is still crying. And my neck is still sore and my summer clothes still don’t fit and my laundry still isn’t done.
The big picture of my life – messy as it might be – is still one of beauty because the big picture is made of so many moments of joy.
This hasn’t been my favorite week. But I am still grateful for this life and determined to find the joy that’s all around. Even if that means pulling my cranky baby out of her crib to rock her back to sleep, again – and then watching Johnny pull his Baby out of the corner for the final dance of the season.
What moment are you savoring this week?
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So true! Being a parent is a crash course, I think, in savoring the moments in the midst of the mess and chaos and discomfort. Here’s another happy moment: Ruby just pointed to your picture on this blog and said, “I love that girl!” Have a happy Mother’s Day with your girls!
Awwww, Ruby!! I love her, too!! Thanks, Sally – I hope your Mother’s Day is full of love and naps. :)
Good for you Mary!! Sounds like you did have a great moments week after-all. Thanks for the reminder to focus on the grateful moments and maybe even write them down. I am surely missing my journal this week that hasn’t been my favorite either. God bless you much!
Lina