Waiting

This is something I have been thinking about lately. Do you ever find yourself waiting for the next thing in life? Or even the next TV show, the next time someone posts, the next time I can eat dairy...I think about, "I can't wait until Oprah", "I can't wait until this weekend", "I can't wait to watch Garden State (which I did and loved)", "I can't wait until Elias does _________", "I can't wait to have another baby"....and on and on and on. I feel like I am living a life waiting for the next thing, not really enjoying each day and the little things that make it exciting or even boring. I read a great section in "Simpler Living Compassionate Life". I will quote from page 38:

"In living mindfully, we pay attention to whatever we're doing and "suck out all the marrow". We become deeply absorbed in what we are doing, appreciating the people we are with, being conscious of the wind on our face. It means paying attention to what you are doing, and not doing ten things at once. Taking the time to notice, slowing down, sitting peacefully, and just being."

So since then I have only started doing the above and only sometimes but it is really awesome when it happens. Like yesterday when Elias ate a piece of cereal for the first time. Not a huge accomplishment for many, but our son hates lumps in his food. He gagged and threw up when I tried giving him a piece of avocado and banana. So I held the star-shaped banana-flavored cereal in my hand and he grasped it with his thumb and pointer finger (another huge baby milestone) and put it in his mouth, let it dissolve a little, the chewed and swallowed! No gagging or hurling...I tried again and he proceeded to eat 6!

Or the other day when I stopped long enough to watch the palm on our balcony swaying in the wind and looked down and saw its shadow dancing on the ground. Or Sunday morning when I was walking to 24 Hour Fitness (YES, I joined a health club) and it was lightly raining and I felt how soft the mist was on my face.

But this morning I thought again how "I couldn't wait to meet friends tomorrow night for dinner" and "I can't wait to go to Lafayette to see my family this weekend". But, at least I am aware sometimes of the little things that make life great. I will have to re-read this post often.