“Life is short.” How many times have you heard that…from your grandparents, parents, or even your pastor? This is probably the most used cliché around, but also probably the most accurate.
People use it for nearly every life situation – first days of school, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, marriages, the birth of a child, and eventually death. Everywhere you turn, you can find it on social media, read it in books and greeting cards, hear it in songs, and now you even find it on home décor.
Just this morning on my way into the office, I heard one of my all-time favorite country songs, “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins. This song literally brings me to tears every single time:
You’re gonna miss this You’re gonna want this back You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast These are some good times So take a good look around You may not know it now But you’re gonna miss this
As I think about each stage of my own life thus far, I can apply these words to all of them. “You’re gonna miss this.” To me, this is the ultimate truth. The older I get, the faster the world spins. Maybe this is just how life works, but now that I find myself approaching the big 40 mark, I desperately need it to slow down…just a little. If only that was a real possibility.
Things I once couldn’t wait for and thought would never happen have become a distant memory. It all happened so fast, in the blink of any eye, really. I remember being a child and going to school. The days would crawl by so very slowly. I couldn’t wait to graduate, go to college, get married, have kids…whatever the next big step was. I was always in a hurry for the next best thing.
Enjoying the moment is something that I’ve always struggled with, and still do. Like a lot of people, I’m in survival mode. The mounting stresses of motherhood, relationships, finances, and world issues grow with each passing day. I am simply doing my best to survive.
I think back to my carefree life as a child, playing outside with the neighbors, going on bike rides, going to the beach, summer vacations. Not a care in the world other than who I was going to play with that afternoon. I have memories of staying up late and playing the old Nintendo with my brother, cousins, and friends (yes, the original Nintendo…I’m that old). We just had to pass the next level in Mario Brothers.
“You’re gonna miss this.”
I remember impatiently waiting to graduate high-school and head off to college. Man, just to be done with high school. Done with the mundane schedule each day. Done with the teenage drama. How exciting it was to think about moving out on my own, doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Real responsibility.
“You’re gonna miss this.”
I remember the fun of those early collage years – going to parties, meeting new people, working on my “social life.” Then finally coming to my senses and concentrating on my courses. I wanted to graduate, get my first full-time job, and leave my mark on the world. The excitement was real. And with a real paycheck, the possibilities were endless.
“You’re gonna miss this.”
I remember dating and trying to find that perfect match, all the toads I had to kiss until I found my prince. I remember our wedding and all the exciting plans we had: the vacations, the first house, the projects, the dreams of the future. Doing whatever we wanted and thinking we were “so busy.”
“You’re gonna miss this.”
Now, here I am. I grew up, went to college, got married, had three kids. What now? I sit back and look at them – not babies anymore. Even my three-year-old is growing up so quickly. There are no more bottles, no more diapers, and no more cribs. As much as I’m relieved, I have to admit I kind of miss those things. But at the time, the sleepless nights, the sick babies, and the fact that I had absolutely no clue what I was doing…it was almost more than I could handle. A part of me that wants it all back.
“You’re gonna miss this.”
Our lives are so hectic, so stressful. Whether you stay at home, work outside the home, or work from home, it’s busy. It’s hard. A child’s always crying, screaming, or fighting, the dogs never stop barking, and someone always has to poop. Then there are the bills, the household repairs, family drama, illnesses, and death. Every day there’s something new – something you didn’t plan for. It’s exhausting.
But mama, while you’re in the thick of it, just remember: “You’re gonna miss this. You’re gonna want this back.”
Think about those lyrics next time you’re on the verge of tears because you can’t catch your toddler who’s running through the house naked and covered in permanent marker, or when the kids trash the house as they take out every single toy and make forts out of your furniture…
Someday, the kids will be grown and the house will be eerily quiet. As delightful as that sounds right about now, “you’re gonna miss this.”
The days are long, but the years are short.
ParentCo.
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