Being present

I keep hearing this phrase over and over - "Be present".  And a few weeks ago I was really mulling it over, what exactly does it mean to be present.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how easy it is to do the opposite of being present - to merely exist in the space that we're in.  Its so easy, especially as a working mom, to just exist.  To do the day to day tasks and routines, wishing the week away until its the weekend.  And then wasting (well, maybe not wasting, but spending) the weekend doing more tasks and chores until you realize that weekend is over too.  Taking no particular joy in the things you've completed, just knowing you need to do them.  So I've really been working on being present - enjoying the time I have with my son and husband, making the best of it, and blending fun and memories into the tasks that can so easily take over our lives.  Last night, I sat on the floor and played with James.  He was crawling around with a comb, trying to brush the animals.  Somewhere in the middle of that rather hilarious scene, he crawled over my leg, and sat with me.  For just a minute, leaning his back onto my tummy, we sat there and I truly enjoyed it.  I put my arms around him, gave him a kiss, and let him crawl off, back on his brushing mission.  I think James might have noticed how happy it made me, because not another minute later, he crawled back towards me, pulled himself up to look me in the eye and leaned in for a hug.  I could have melted.  That little moment let me know that being present for James is the most important thing I can do as his mom.

Nothing cuter than a napping baby