I need to practice being present as often as possible. It is a hard thing for a girl who is constantly updating calendars and scheduling every blink. I have been working on it for quite some time and have really gotten good at it. But every here and again I find myself tuning out some wonderful thing right in front of me because I am thinking about something that might or could happen in a bit. Today, I put the world on PAUSE and took it in. Ethan was buzzing about (as he does from sunrise to sunset) and yapping. He was in a wild frenzy about end of school parties and parks and karate and you name it. He mentioned something about tying a shoe and how if he knew how to do it at school he would win something. I told him to grab a sneaker and take it to Pop Pop. My Dad needs to be needed as we all do. I forgot how bad he is at teaching something new. The most patient man in the world turns into a huffy eye roller if you don't grasp something quickly enough. I learned this as a young child. With two impatient parents I realized that I was the best one to teach me things. Maybe it is why I went on to be such a good teacher....tons of practice. So out came my teary little guy upset at the way my Dad was grumbling. I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't my father's fault at all. It turns out he was teaching him the proper way and Ethan had been learning the somewhat less serious two little bunny ear way. My Dad was going with the real deal. So I gave the pep talk about how there is no need to cry over tying a shoe and spent the next few minutes making up some weird little chant about loops and tucks. Within a few tries he had it. He was excited. Part of me felt bad about the fact that I probably should have had this skill well established by now...he's 6 and all. I nipped that feeling in the bud and reminded myself that he's had some really cool shoes (sans laces) and I've sort of been juggling the world...can't do it all now can I? I paused and watched his little face light up as he found success over and over. Each twist and tie made him a little bit more sure. I said to him in the moments he grew scared that he had forgotten already, "Just think a few months ago you didn't know how to read or how to do five forms in karate...look at you now. It's just a matter of time until you get it...be patient and know it will come!". Well duh. I give this advice all of the time to my children, to my friends, etc....why do I not give it to myself? I pushed the PAUSE button and took in the moment. All of it. I captured his little toothless smile in my mental photo bank. I pondered the teaching moment that I gave to him and the one that he gave me in return. I held on for a moment and just let it be. Fully. These moments come like rapid fire lately and I need to catch them like fireflies in a jar to hold for just a bit.
A short while and one karate class later we found ourselves starving and exhausted from another big day. Pizza was happening...I knew this much. We headed to Momento's. It's been there for a bit under my radar and tonight I realized how much I had been missing out. The food is exceptional. The place is simple but the passion from the chef is unbelievable. The Lasagna Pizza was loaded with fresh basil, meatballs, sausages, huge dollops of ricotta and drizzles of olive oil. We sat around a table and enjoyed it. PAUSE. Sometimes when a place is different from the norm you feel like you are doing something so exciting even if you are only grabbing a pizza. The new is where you find it. So in between the usual work and meetings and pickups and karate classes and dishes and everything else that life dishes out...you put the world on pause and make it feel new. Today was the last full day of school. I will be losing those quiet moments when I sit in the car in between work and the second half of my day with the family. I get about 30 minutes 4 days a week or so to breathe. To put the world on pause. Now I will have the real practice sessions. I will have to find them in the hustle and bustle of summertime. Maybe I'll just have to sneak off and have a piece of pizza...since I think we have all mastered the art of shoe tying.
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