My sister and I are in two very different places in our lives. She is a young 22 year old with a 3 month old baby. She was married at 20 and began her family early. I on the other hand am 27, single, and have chosen to focus on my career. It is interesting that though the two of us find great pleasure in what we are doing in our lives, we both wish that we could be in the other's shoes. She longs to be independent, focus on a career, and live the "single carefree life"(which is an imaginary thing). I on the other hand would give whatever it took to be in her shoes. I've been down the career path. I've completed a great deal of schooling and I've had amazing accomplishment. I've loved it, but at the same time, I would trade all of it to have a family of my own. We both do realize that what we have is important, but each of us thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the hill.
Though our problems seem completely different, they are the same. We both struggle with what we think we want. She sees the stress of a crying baby. I see the stress of the demands of parents, district, law, and school officials. She sees me as being independent and doing whatever I want. I see her as someone who doesn't have worry about being lonely later on in life. I don't see her stresses for her baby girl, and she doesn't know the aching and sorrow for the children I long to have.
The fact is that each of us have an important role to play. Each of us have a time in life when we feel like we are missing or have missed out on something. The key to happiness is to realize that God has placed you in the situation you are currently in because you are the only person who can fulfill your mission at that time under the circumstances you have been placed in.
We don't stop to enjoy life enough. We rush and wait for the day for things to take place. We can't wait for the weekend or until the next hour. We wish and want so badly for the next experience to take place that we don't take time to be in the moment. There are so many experiences in life that we lose out on because we are waiting for the next. So the next time you feel anxious, frustrated, or longing to be in a different situation, stop and enjoy the moment.
Tribute to John Lennon
The Guggenheim
Grand Central Station
Mt. Holyoke
Break Dancing In Central Park
Pond at Mt. Holyoke College
Beach in Mexico
2 comments:
I totally agree with you about this stuff Babs! I have a friend down the street who hasn't been able to have children yet and I sometimes envy her freedom and the neat things she has time to do, but at the same time I know she's feeling a lot of pain because she doesn't have her own children. I try to be grateful for my girls and enjoy them as much as possible.
Living in the moment is the best advice anyone can live by. It can be hard when you're burnt out and exhausted with no spare time for self to realize all the wonderful experiences we each have. The key is to focus on those moments because they truly are what make life worth living. The more we can recognize those moments, the more happy we will be. And I have to say that a career and being mom are wonderful and challenging at the same time. I miss my teaching and students a lot, but I definitely don't miss the school politics. There have also been times when I wished I wasn't a mom when things got overwhelming (more than anything else in my life that I've experienced) but then her little smile makes it all worth it. So there is always good and bad in any circumstance, but we all can enjoy those happy moments to help us get through the hard ones!
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