Sunday, July 22, 2007

A Lot Can Happen In A Moment

My mother in law used to be the assistant librarian at the high school in our home town. I loved stopping by her office because she always had some little pallet-pleasing treasures in her bottom drawer. And she shared willingly. We called them, "Moments." Nearly every time I went to her office we shared a "moment." They were sweet, not only because we were savoring chocolate, but also because we were together, soaking up the lamp-lit charm of her quiet office. "Moments" were deliberate; we were totally present in them, sponging up the pleasure of good food and good company.

Sometimes I get so caught up anticipating big events that I forget to savor the sweet, minute to minute moments of daily life. So this last week I shifted into "Moment-Mentality," which involved a concerted effort to relish a bit more deliberately in the simple pleasures of my life. Isn't it a curious thing how you always seem to see what you're looking for? And sure enough, when looking for "moments" they appeared like fireflies, serendipitous flickers, illuminating what would have otherwise felt like monotony.

Moment #1: Another trip to the pet store; this time we brought dad. And we all witnessed a chemical change in our chest cavities, as we fussed over the impossibly darling Shih Tzu puppy and suddenly there sat a sappy puddle of googly mush in the chamber that was formerly host to our cardiac mechanisms.

Moment #2: A trip to the ritzy car wash (we got a coupon for a free full service wash in the mail; a welcome to the neighborhood gift...a little late, but well-received nonetheless.) We savored a complimentary raspberry danish, washed our hands with the good-enough-to-eat Lavender and Chamomile soap in the nice-enough-to-sleep-in restrooms, watched car after fancy car get squirted, suds-ed, sponged and sprayed before emerging squeaky clean at the drying station. As we drove away in our car that was as clean as it's been since the last welcome-to-the-neighborhood-freebie wash we got when we actually were new to the neighborhood (more than six months ago), I grinned euphorically at Nate as I told him how positively fun it was to feel rich for twenty minutes.

Moment #3: A trip to the local batting cages to watch Nate take some practice swings for his upcoming Deloitte softball game. Henry kept himself happily occupied trying on the helmets, which were as big as his whole person, and cheering for his dad to "pay a good soff-ball game!"

Moment #4: Receiving the yummiest loaf of banana bread we've ever eaten in our entire lives--and it was whole wheat! I defy the person(s) who said nutritious and delicious could not coexist to find a more delicious loaf of yumminess in this universe! Thank you from the bottom of our stomachs, Mr. Moon, for those nutritious (for the whole wheat) and delicious (for the butter atop) "moments."

Moment #5: Returning home from our friday night date to the temple to find our house clean and quiet, and a sweeter-than-Pure-Cane-Sugar babysitter, Mallory, refusing to take payment for her time because she wanted it to be service. Seriously, how many sixteen year old girls do you know who would be so selfless and kind? I still find myself in a dumbfounded cross between utter disbelief and overwhelming gratitude for the gesture. Do you think a plate of home made Oreo Cookies might suffice as a token of my gratitude? Two plates, perhaps? They're really tasty cookies, and still, it seems a paltry offering in comparison, doesn't it?

I could go on. And on. (And I will, just a little bit, because freedom of the WordPress is one of the perks of being the sole custodian of this blog.)

I find indescribable joy, (sometimes manifest by irrepressible tears,) in thoughts of my brother, Rob, who's currently serving as a missionary for our church in Lubbock, Texas. I'm fairly certain that if one more drop of tenderness and l-u-u-u-u-v for him had been added to my "emotional cup" today at church, I would have turned into a walking candy heart. I found joy in slicing colorful vegetables and chopping our garden tomatoes for the Greek salad I served with dinner tonight. In the smell of my almost-favorite scent (April Fresh Downy,) washing a dozen pair of Henry's underoos and rejoicing over the fact that we'll no longer be buying diapers--Double awesome! In the appreciative kiss that I planted on Nate's lips in the Costco parking lot when, upon realizing that my wallet and Costco card were at home, and while oozing apologies for my feather-headedness, he put the car in reverse and said, without a trace of a grumble, "Great! More time together in the car!" It is a complex and delicate and impossibly sweet pleasure to be married to a man who I am always craving more "moments" with and to be "mama" to a little boy who I want to eat for breakfast, (with a side of whole wheat banana bread,) every single morning.

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