When my sons were very young and toddled off to nursery school, the starting ground for them to begin their own independent lives, I would pick them up and ask about their day. Of course, limited answers were given and so I learned to ask more specific and age appropriate questions and at dinner time we would all share the "best part of our day" and "the worst part of our day." Now, they are college aged men and we still gather quite frequently at the dinner table and the questions are still typically answered without prodding. We were all trained to take a moment to focus on a few moments in our day, a few moments in time and report them back to share with the group.
As a new year dawns and breaks the horizon, it is part of my personal goals to return to this practice with a bit more enthusiasm and awareness. Every day, every single day, has within it a few fabulous moments though they may be overshadowed by struggle, weary work and routines or illness. Taking notice of those bright, sparkly bits that are always sprinkled in is the first step then sharing those stories with others may bring a smile, a giggle, a touch of hope and soon the focus will change. The warmth, the joy and the details that make us laugh until our stomachs are sore and we beg for mercy will become the memories we can retrieve first and easiest.
While it is never really a blank canvas we begin a new year with, we have our ideas, past experiences and goals we will unknowingly include, I am making a conscious effort and decision to see in each day a few fabulous moments and share them. I also look forward to hearing and being a part of other's moments as well.
On this New Year's Eve, I will live the day as planned, but with added attention. As I sip my hot morning tea, and crunch into the golden crisp toasted English Muffin (yes, with nooks and crannies) I can sit back and say, this is just today's first fabulous moment.
