It’s REIGNING meatball and noodles

Do you see it?

OMG!  Yep….it’s a big fat meatball and noodles on the floor OF.  MY. HOUSE.  Actually those lovely objects along with those stinky ole socks were found under a couch as we were tidying up for holiday guests.

Can you believe it?

I sooo can.  In my house we tend to find food on the floor all the time and it literally drives me………to laughter.  Well now it does.  Many years ago I do remember moments when I would lose my cool with these children over banana peels in the closet, corn under the rug, and chips laying on the floor.  NOW…..I just laugh!  Not because I really think it is funny.  I don’t!  I laugh because solving the challenge of getting my kids to focus, clean up, and keep our space organized…..is just not going to happen as quickly as I want it to. Laughter is a very good solution to any problem!!!

Are you still laughing (or even disgusted) at me sharing about corn under the rug and banana peels in the closet? Let me tell you what these little smart ones used to do.

My oldest son is not well versed in the art of eating healthy.  Vegetables and fruits were not his thang when he was younger.  He would scheme to wiggle away from them and cozy up to his version of eating well…..which was candy, pudding, ice cream.  You know – ALL the good stuff.  One evening, when he was 3 years old, we negotiated a worthy proposition – “if you eat your corn, you can have pudding for dessert.”  We thought we were so smart in this bargaining.  He agreed.  And you can imagine our delight when we noticed his plate was clean of corn, so big cheers and pudding delight was had by all of us.  A few weeks later I was cleaning in the basement and moved a piece of furniture to vacuum and found a handful of stale hard corn kernels.  Utterly in shock and dismayed, I found the humor in his brilliant little thinking cap.  To this day, I have no idea how he got them in the basement with out us knowing, seeing, or paying attention.  Brilliant he is!!!!

These moments have got me thinking!

What do we do when what we do not want (like a big fat meatball and a hunk of noodles under a couch) creeps in to our home, our family and our lives?

I chose humor because it works for me.  It lightens the mood and allows me to see it clearly.  Instead of attacking, I begin to see what needs to be improved, what needs to be loved, what needs to be solved.  AND….laughing connects us to that achievable goal of getting better and living a conscious life.

The MOST important part here is not how you chose to respond.  It is the action that leads you to responding in your way.  A heart-centered parent knows to surrender.  (Remember last week!  I shared about getting naked in the grocery store.  Read it here if you have not had a chance to do so before.)

What REIGNS in our hearts, our minds, and our souls as important.  What has your attention as the most important?  Is it really the most important?

Sometimes we are so focused on what we want, on the future, and even on the past…… we miss who they are in front of us. 

Surrendering to ‘what is’ IS the only way to stay present and staying present IS the only way to love our children less so they can be more.

“ALL NEGATIVITY is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present.  Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence.  Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”

-Eckhart Tolle

What is REIGNING in your life, in your home, in your relationships with your children?

Too often, we put in the power position good grades, best team, perfect family photo, and too high of expectations that we miss the fun and fabulousness of the present moment.  Too often, we are in such a hurry to get somewhere fast that we miss opportunities to connect in the small ways with our children and our life.  Too often, we fear missing out on the image of a perfect life that we miss out on the sparkle in our own lives and with our children.

At the heart of it, surrender the past and the future AND live well in the present moment.  Your heart, your mind, and your soul will thank you for the cherished memories and the love had by all.

Gandhi once shared, “The future depends on what you do today.”

We have to NOT let fear of the future or what was in the past REIGN on the sparkle and love of our present moment.  The future of who our children are depends on it. Our future depends on it.

I DARE YOU…..carpe diem!  Seize this day….this moment….surrender to what is…..and by all means……LAUGH!!!

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