Savoring

Pondering life lately, and with the help of some very inspirational blogs, I have been doing a lot more savoring. Don't you think that word deserves italics?

There are things I'm good at savoring. Like the occasional treat (read, chocolate). Or dinner that my good husband makes. A freshly cut head of hair (anyone's in the family!). Certain music. The smell of clean laundry, and Irish Spring soap. A freshly cleaned house. Chocolate covered blueberries (did I just say chocolate again?). I've also been truly, and deeply, savoring my baby, who turned four months old on Valentine's Day. She's so savored that she sometimes thinks she's had enough kisses and hugs and enjoys being put down to kick her legs around now and then.

There are things that I haven't been savoring that deserve it. This is the result of that inspiration I mentioned earlier. Things that are now on my list to savor more wholly are:

-The moment I pick up my older two kids from school. I'm better at smiling lately. I'm learning things. I'm more relaxed.

-Quiet moments in the house, when the baby is asleep, walking around barefoot on the clean, smooth floors, and just breathing. Maybe straightening some pillows. Enjoying my space. The soft lighting. The silence.

-T's sense of humor, and what she teaches me.

-J's young, sweet need for hugs and holding still, going on 8 yrs old.

-Watching T interact with the baby. The baby absolutely loves her. This makes my day. When I have something to accomplish and assign T a few minutes of entertaining her, I stop and watch for a little while. I thought it was kind of counterproductive before, but I couldn't help it. Now, I'm savoring it.

-Laughter. More often. Better. Especially at myself.

-Prayer. Testimony. Prayers being answered on a daily basis.

-D playing with the baby. Technically I should be showering, or making dinner, or cleaning something while he does this. But I just love to watch. I now give myself permission.

-Playing the piano.

-Watching other mothers, really good ones, in action. I am appreciating their examples and their friendships. The little miracles they do every day, by doing every-day things.

-Healthier foods. I'm in the middle of a personal food revolution, where I'm thinking harder about what I eat, and really enjoying preparing nutritious but fantastic food. Pregnancy and new baby slump, be gone!

-Health in general. We'd never know what health was if we didn't have illness. Days when we all feel good are being savored, thought about, mentioned in prayers more.

-The fabulous soreness and muscle aches that come with getting back into my workout routine. Ahh, the stretching, burning loveliness. It feels like accomplishment.


I need to savor life more. Lots of it. I'm trying to reconcile how to do this while becoming more efficient and organized. For some reason, in my mind, those two things don't work very well together. I am a perfectionist but I can't seem to keep everything together at once. A woman's work is never done, nothing stays done, life happens. Perhaps it's a matter of focus.

Because I don't know how long anything will last, and I want to enjoy the present, because I am a human, and a mother, and a dynamic, sensitive, and blessed daughter of God, because I am capable of more, and need to get past some mental road blocks, I want to wake up more fully. I can enjoy more of what I have. I can make small miracles out of the circumstances around me. I can do more, and be more, and savor more. I deserve it, and so does my family.

What are you savoring?