Presence, such a hard thing to attain. This applies to life in general and, alas, this parenting task seems never to go away (and my kids are 46 and 48!). I don't mean the sunblock; I mean the job of being present with what is, not with what else I might wish were going on. Not missing a moment I actually have while yearning for or anticipating something else.
This is wonderful. I did not discover mindfulness & meditation until about 5 years ago, and it has made a world of difference for me as a parent & caregiver. I wonder, too, where I was all those years when my son was younger & how much I likely missed not being fully present. I am practicing now, and learning to pay attention. Looking forward to your Substack!
I love the parallels in our life. The post-it note on my desk at work reads, “Be where your feet are.” Also, I very much appreciate your honesty about the joys and—ehem—challenges of parenting and human-ing. It’s tough out here.
Sunblock the child to sunblock the child
Happy Monday!
I love this--and the many pieces you're writing that catch the difficulties--and the joys--of bringing up children.
Wonderfully crafted! Brilliant! And can’t help but ask….and where is your attention right now? And now? Love to you and yours! 💙🙏😘
Presence, such a hard thing to attain. This applies to life in general and, alas, this parenting task seems never to go away (and my kids are 46 and 48!). I don't mean the sunblock; I mean the job of being present with what is, not with what else I might wish were going on. Not missing a moment I actually have while yearning for or anticipating something else.
this really resonates with me. i struggled with so many parenting tasks. xo
This is wonderful. I did not discover mindfulness & meditation until about 5 years ago, and it has made a world of difference for me as a parent & caregiver. I wonder, too, where I was all those years when my son was younger & how much I likely missed not being fully present. I am practicing now, and learning to pay attention. Looking forward to your Substack!
I love the parallels in our life. The post-it note on my desk at work reads, “Be where your feet are.” Also, I very much appreciate your honesty about the joys and—ehem—challenges of parenting and human-ing. It’s tough out here.
And now at 32, when my daughter asks me to sunblock her back, I am overjoyed to be the mother protector, going underneath her straps for good measure.