Lingering on Happiness (from 12/17/2013)

*I found this unpublished post from 12/17/2013 as I was revisiting my old blog. It just needed to be published! This is one of my favorite pictures ever of this kiddo!

Our "First Gift of Christmas" this year is to be more meek and patient, as the Savior is.  Keeping that in the forefront of my mind has made me realize that I have a tendency to rush my kids and rush myself to get on to the next thing that needs to get done instead of being patient and enjoying the moment.  Somewhere deep inside I feel like my value or success is a function of how much I get accomplished.  When I slow down and focus on the experience instead of the task I have a much different experience.  I actually enjoy what I do.  Shocker, I know.  I can be a little slow sometimes because of my tendency to rush through things!


My cousin McKenzie posted link to a great research-based article (here) that I loved about the choice to be happy.  I want to be happier.  I want my home to be a happier place.  Who doesn't?  One of the things they found helps people be happier is "linger on those little, positive moments."  The day after I read the article I was putting Brett down for a nap.  We were rocking in his room and had read the two stories dictated by the routine :-).  I was ready to put him in bed when I realized how much I loved how he was nuzzled into me.  He just loves rocking.  He was so relaxed and oozing love.  His hair smelled like clean baby (yes, very different from other possible baby smells!), and I just felt my own body melt into the moment.  I thought about the article.  I thought about the hour of free time I had before the older three kids came home from school.  I thought about all of the things I needed to get done...(dramatic pause)...and for that moment I just kept rocking my baby and lingered on the moment.  I was happy to be a mother.  I was happy to have that time with my baby who is growing out of being a baby too fast.  


I am not going to get Christmas cards done this year.  They will possibly become Valentines :-), but maybe not.  Perhaps I need to start a "happy pile" of projects that I didn't get to because I was trying to linger longer on the little, positive moments in an effort to choose peace and happiness instead of rushing on to the next thing.  It's not always a mommy moment.  It can be a hundred different things each day.  One of the things I want to linger on more is moments when I feel the Spirit.  Another is enjoying the beauty of nature.  There are all sorts of birds here, and we have amazing sunsets some nights.  I want to linger in those moments instead of rushing to dinner or homework.  It's easy to get sucked in and without even realizing it I'm there again.  I wanted to blog about this because I want to remember it.  I want to choose to be happier by lingering more in those moments that define for me what real happiness is.