When I was a kid I used to love the beginning of spring. Weather began to warm and it meant longer nights filled with playing outside. It was a slower time, little worries, no where to be, just roaming the property and enjoying everything about life.
We had maple trees and the yard was filled with helicopters. I would sit and throw those in the air to keep myself entertained. Watching them spiral to the ground was mesmerizing.
My mom, hovering over her flower beds. They consumed my Saturdays, helping her take care of them. Seeing those colors blooming was rewarding after putting in weekends of weed pulling work.
Tonight, on my evening walk, not only did I notice the helicopters on the ground, but I took the time to stop and pick one up. I launched it into the air and watched it twirling down. I didn’t even realize what I was doing or how long it had been since I had just stopped for a minute to enjoy the small things. It’s amazing how much slips by us while we are rushing through life.
As I finished up my walk I noticed some color beginning to peek out of my rhododendron. I stopped and wanted to take it in. Making the decision to take notice of all the little wonders around me.
It’s April 19th as I write this. The start of a new week. As I sit here on the couch contemplating my upcoming week, it’s much different than my Sundays past. My planner is empty, no plans on the horizon, a full tank of gas, no after school activities, theater performances, Girl Scouts meetings… a whole lot of nothing.
COVID-19 has changed so much of how we live our lives and forced us all to slow down.
We live in a world that moves at breakneck speed and to be honest I finally feel like I’m blending in with everyone else. I’ve never enjoyed a life that has every minute planned. Or a full calendar. I like to sit on the front porch and listen to the birds and the breeze. I like having the time to take a walk and make it as long or as short as I want because guess what? There’s no where else to go. The problem is, I never felt like I could. I felt like I had to keep up with the rest of society that was moving far too fast.
The blessing in this darkness is the small moments that we so often miss are now brought to the forefront. And I hope we never forget to stop every once in a while and enjoy our lives.
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