Peace, Love, and Pop-Tarts

Peace, Love, and Pop-Tarts

There are so many little things we take for granted in our day that should make us smile. Things that should make us thankful. Things that pass us by because we are so busy being.... well, busy. 

I came across this shirt the other day. My kids love pop-tarts for snack time and on the side of the box was the web site to order pop-tart apparel. We had to check it out. And, just for the record, I do want a pop-tart coffee mug. 

We all laughed about the silly yet fun things you can buy on this site. Then I realized how fun it was to take a break in work, pull up that site and for a moment just browse through it with my fabulous four saying, "Oh, let's get one of those." and "Look, that's just $6.99!" 

Today I was determined to notice the little things. All the little things that make my day full of love. Benjamin's excitement over grits and eggs. Olivia being convinced lip balm must be toxic. Abigail's new fascination with her stop watch. Jordan's sneaking in just one more chapter of her book. My mom's endless supply of coffee. New friends that can make me laugh. Prayer from faithful friends that keep me going. Kindness of a stranger that made me see God first.

Today we went to the park. I had errands to run and then groceries to buy before coming home to make dinner. It was such a beautiful day, and having been sick, I had not been out in the sunshine at all. So, in between all our running around I stopped at the park so the kids could play and I could walk. Nothing like a good hard walk to wake up the muscles. I wanted to go hard at it for about 25 minutes..... this was the perfect opportunity for Abigail to use her stopwatch. The kids played on the playground and I made the circle around them. This particular park was the home of about a billion trees and ten thousand squirrels. No birds, thank goodness... (that's a story for another time). 

Each time I made the circle I checked the time. I'd like to say I kept up with how many laps I made or that I was improving my time, but as I walked I got lost in thought. I confess I pondered what to blog.... is that considered a sickness? I began to daydream about the characters in my book. There's a first kiss coming for a couple in my book and I just can't make it right. Daydreaming... I walked. I watched the young couple in love across the park. At one point he stands, pulls her to her feet, picks her up, swings her around and kisses her gently before they sit back down together.... hmm.... that kiss would work. Nice show young couple. Then I was completely distracted by the group of four friends bringing in an evening picnic. The sun was setting. Squirrels were scampering.... no, that's a lie... they would run right beside me and scare me out of my daydreaming. An older couple walked around the park slowly. He wasn't moving fast, and she was holding his hand. They were smiling and talking quietly. Her free hand was telling a story, and he just kept smiling. Then, I watched the kids. Running, sliding, holding on for dear life as the merry-go-round twisted with light speed, conquering the monkey bars.... laughing. I walked. I watched life around me. Beautiful life. I am blessed. On to the store..... more pop-tarts of course.