The Real Adventure

From Hastiness to Gratefulness

There was a season when I was a single mom to two children under the age of three years old. By the grace of God–and with the help of multiple daily energy drinks, I made it through those long days and sleepless nights. My fifty-hour work week mandated that all needed errands were pushed to the weekends. 

I used to shudder inside when I had to put the words Walmart and my young children together in the same sentence. After all, anyone who has shopped solo with youngsters who are too independent to want to sit in the shopping cart, yet too young to consistently walk by your side understands the quote, "Mommin' ain't easy." 

In that season, I mistakenly had the mindset of needing to accomplish the "must-do tasks" before I could get to the "want-to activities." What did I want to do? I just wanted to play with my kids at the park. But what had to happen first was all of those dreaded errands. I found that my mind was in a frequent state of hastiness. My goal was to rush through all my errands as quickly as I could, so I could then be in a position where I could take my children somewhere I deemed as fun for them. 

Thankfully, one afternoon as I was driving down the exit ramp from our most recent trip to the grocery store, God convicted me of that perspective and gifted me with a new revelation. Those errands…the part I just wanted to get finished with as quickly as I could, was actually part of the adventure. My focus should no longer be on rushing through the unwanted moments to get to the cherished ones; it should be about cherishing each moment I am in. 

This changed everything for me! As I began to adopt this new perspective, everything became so much more fun. This new outlook created the opportunity for me to enjoy my children more. Each moment, regardless of where we were, became more about me being fully present in the moment with my children and delighting in the many opportunities to celebrate their unique personalities. 

These personalities included my daughter clutching tightly against her chest, the pink box of tampons I had just tossed into the shopping cart, because she loved all that was pink, and in that moment, she was pretty convinced I was buying her a new favorite toy. This also included the innocent and enthusiastic, "Aargh!” It's a pirate!" comment that came out of my son's mouth, the first time he saw an elderly gentleman with an eye patch, shopping beside us. 

Let us not leave out the fascinating and persuasive argument a two-year-old can make for why they need that exact piece of candy that is strategically placed at their eye level in the check-out line. Once my perspective changed, the store was no longer a hurdle to jump over. The store was an adventure all to itself. My children, wide-eyed in wonderment with all of the colors and sounds, only knew that they were getting to experience something out of the ordinary, and that they were getting to share those moments with their mom. 

I have held onto that mindset ever since, and the quality of my life has greatly benefited. Life is about appreciating every moment I get to share with my children. They will not always be small enough to even want to go to the store with me. 

Therefore, if my belief of, "this errand should only take five minutes because I am just running in for one item," transforms into a thirty-minute journey up and down every aisle to see if we can locate the new automatic robot floor sweeper, I have learned to love and enjoy it. In the back of my mind, I also realize that if my children do locate this fascinating piece of equipment, we will spend the next ten minutes following it around while my arms pile up with semi-impulsive purchases. But even still I would deem the trip as a success. Why? Because it was fun and I got to watch the combination of success and awe on my children's faces as they locate and stare at something that I only got to experience on The Jetsons cartoon growing up. 

Every day, and each moment within that day, can be an adventure all on its own. What a blessing it is when we have the opportunity to experience shared moments, big or small, with someone we love! 

(Photo credit: Karsten Winegeart)