When my mother-in-law was alive, she was an incredible cook and a phenomenal hostess. If you were at her house enjoying dinner, you would want for nothing. She enjoyed serving people. But sometimes she could get so caught up in the preparations and making sure everything was just right that she had trouble enjoying the moment. Of course, it was somewhat humorous when she would come to our home for dinner, she couldn’t sit still while we served her. She wanted to be serving. Again, it was a challenge to just enjoy the moment.
It is easy to get caught up in things that keep us out of the moment. Perhaps you have a game plan for your family vacation. You are going to Disneyland; you have your fast-passes all arranged; you know what time you are getting there in the morning, and what time you’re going to ride which rides. But then one of the kids gets overly tired and plans become derailed. Do you get hung up on the fact that this is not the picture you imagined and the trip becomes miserable or do you flex with the needs and still enjoy the day?
Or perhaps you are celebrating your kid’s birthday with a party. You want to capture the event with plenty of pictures, so you constantly have your phone out. But do you ever find yourself with memories of the event in pictures, but not really memories from being there enjoying people in the moment?
I want to suggest that occasionally we need to let go of our predetermined plans or put the phone away and simply enjoy the moment. If we do, we are likely to be more relaxed and find more enjoyment overall in our important relationships.