Moms Vibe:
By Krystle J. Bailey
Another year is coming to an end, and moms everywhere are asking, “where does the time go?!”
Every year, I shed a tear that my children are another year older. I try to hold onto every moment, but somehow, it feels as though time slips through my fingers. No matter how much I pay attention, how many pictures I take, or the memories I document, the time just keeps accelerating. It’s almost as if the more I try to slow down, the faster time goesm.
Despite the quickly passing years, I am reminded that this moment is all we’ve got. Given the loss and grief that so many of us have experienced in the last two years, being present seems to be top of mind for so many mothers this holiday season.
Being present doesn’t always mean extravagant crafts or all-day adventures with our kids. It doesn’t have to look like vacations or dinner dates, shopping trips, or parties. While all those things are beautiful experiences to create together, opportunities to be present are everywhere if we are paying attention. There are fleeting chances to slow down and connect with our kids every day that can easily be missed if we aren’t paying attention.
Sometimes, being present means smelling their hair while they sit on our laps, soaking in their childhood scent. Being present could mean something as simple as holding their hand in the car or asking about their best friend. It could look like extra long bath times, reading one more bedtime book, or asking one more question about their day. Maybe it looks like longer eye contact, one extra hug before they leave for school, a joke in their lunchbox, or a silly text about how much you love them.
I read something recently that stated, “there is no future or past, only a series of nows.” In other words, this minute, this moment, this blink in time is all we’ve got. Every moment is an invitation to lean in, stay a little longer, connect a little deeper.
As much as I wish we had the power to slow down time, we do have the ability to slow ourselves down and settle into each passing minute. That’s my commitment this holiday season: to give my all to each minute as it comes. The cleaning will get done, the presents will be wrapped, food will be enjoyed, and decorations will be hung. Year after year, the holiday routine repeats itself. Only this year, the kids are 365 days older, and I want to hold on a little longer and love them a little harder.
As author Myrko Thum tells it,
“The present moment is the only thing where there is no time. It is the point between past and future. It is always there, and it is the only point we can access in time. Everything that happens, happens in the present moment. Everything that ever happened and will ever happen can only happen in the present moment. It is impossible for anything to exist outside of it.”
So as you enter into the craziness of the holiday season, remember that only you can control how you experience right now. Take a deep breath, let the unnecessary fall to the wayside, and lean into this beautiful life with your beautiful children.
Happy Holidays, Shore Local Moms.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet.
Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
