the biggest memories are of the smallest things

We are getting ready for a big trip, a monumental trip, a trip that can quickly get mangled up with all sorts of expectations. It will be wonderful and I am grateful.

Yet,

I am constantly reminded that most of our very biggest and most cherished memories are of the mundane. Everyday activities that are just a little bit more magic because of a turn in attitude and fun (and that turn is often elusive for my addled mind).

And they are nearly always free.

The other afternoon, we took our journals down to the local lake to draw and write and mediate. The weather was warm and windy, as balmy as Miami, a real feast for our senses.

A few drops began to fall, so we reluctantly gathered up our supplies and started walking the half mile home.

Then the heavens opened. As the sky was pouring rain and my kids' hearts were releasing joy. They love nothing more than to get caught in the rain. The brisk walk home was filled with constant chatter and stealing away into strangers' carports and eaves to catch our breath.

When we reached our home, they could not bear to stop, so they danced in the rain for the next 20 minutes, while my youngest sang at the top of his lungs. Whenever he is happy, he sings Star Wars and Christmas music mash ups.

I realized or remembered for the millionth time, to slow down, allow for the unexpected and embrace that which is, not lament that which is absent.

My mantra for the past year has been "all in." And I fall short from this tiny missive daily.

Yet,

everytime I fully experience the space we are in completely, with all my senses - reality is refocused into a surreal realm, where dreams and possibilities peak out with a shy little wave to let themselves be known.

All children need this more. A big part of this blog's mission is to capture and record and remind myself how it works for us.

And, I love to hear how it happens in your world too. Together, we can change the world - one tiny magical moment at a time.