Living THE Life, Not Just Living Life

There is a difference between living life and living the life.

A difference that makes all the difference between finding bliss….

Or not.

The difference is in how you approach the little things. The everyday occurrences. The small moments that are often mistakenly overlooked and taken for granted.

There are days when my daughter will fight me every step of the way when it comes to naptime. On these days, the only way to convince her to lie down is if I promise to nap with her.

Some days, I anxiously count each second that passes before she closes her eyes. I silently beg her to fall asleep so I can get back to what needs to be done. The dishes left over from lunch, the bills that need to be paid, the floors that need to be swept, the dinner that needs to be started. Impatiently waiting until I see her nod off before I sneak out of the room to frantically get on with my day.

That’s living life.

A life without bliss.

But every once in a while…..

I’ll pause long enough to take the moment in.

I’ll remind myself that there will come a time when she will no longer lie down with me. A time when I won’t be able to cuddle with her warm and little body curled into mine. A time when I won’t get to hear the soft rhythm of her breathing next to me.

A time when I will long for this very nap with her.

A time when I would do anything to have this day back.

And on those days, I stop and delight in her closeness.

I embrace the moment.

The small everyday moment that won’t feel so small and everyday when it’s long gone.

That’s living the life.

And that’s finding my bliss.

Bliss isn’t found in fancy, shiny things.

It’s in the way my daughter runs back to hug me one last time before she goes to school.

It’s in the way she instinctively reaches out for me when she’s scared.

It’s in the way she smiles through tears when I make things all better with a Dora Band-aid.

It’s in the way she rushes to be the first one to soothe her baby sister when she cries.