I went for a walk this morning with the fam: Jilisa, Willa, and Duke. It was warm but not too warm, with a slight breeze just enough to make you comfortable without getting too hot. No mosquitos flying around yet and great company. I put on my 70lb weight vest to get some extra physical deposits in, and we started our 3.6 km loop as a family.
As we neared the end, my mind started to think about some different stressors and worries. Nothing big. Just a couple things that go through my mind on a daily basis. These thoughts rolled around my head while we made our way up the last hill of the day, and I looked over at Willa. There she was—leaning back in her stroller, smiling, and taking the whole world in without a care in the world, at that moment. Her and I were side by side, but mentally, we were in two completely different worlds.
Yes, some of you reading this will say, “Well, she’s a baby, Matt. Of course, she doesn’t have worries like adults do.” Yes, to some extent however, negative things can happen to both of us. The only difference is that she isn’t thinking about future negatives outside of the present moment. If she’s hungry, she’ll cry. If she’s tired, she’ll get grumpy. As far as I know, she’s not thinking about, never having food again because she’s hungry. She’s crying because she’s hungry in the here and now.
She’s present.
Now, I’m not arguing we all cry when we’re hungry or worried. What I am saying is this: We live in future stressors and past mistakes so much that it takes us away from the current moment. Our mental state impacts our actions. Our actions heavily influence our outcomes.
Looking over at Willa lounging and soaking it all in reminds me that I need to be more like her sometimes. Completely present and reliant on my heavenly Father, just as she is trusting in us as earthly parents. Hard things will happen in our life, but worrying about them and not taking positive action on them will do nothing more than steal away our appreciation for the current blessings in the now and the opportunities we have to take action today.
Thanks for the reminder, Willa.
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