Sometimes I get a little impatient. I want to go to places I have never been before. Sometimes I want to go to places I have already been. If the destination is warmer and promises time by the pool, I definitely want to go. But sometimes it isn’t time to go anywhere, it’s time to stay put, and it’s cold outside, there are school lunches to make, clothes to wash and a to do list a mile long. That dream holiday looks even more heavenly when there are chores to be done that’s for sure. But being home ain’t actually a bad thing, and it certainly shouldn’t be despised.
I am not that great at it, but I want to be better at it. It’s a powerful thing, being thankful. Lack is so easy to be aware of. To focus on and to point out. If I focus on where I want to go rather than where am right now I may miss a whole lot along the way. The images of sun-kissed families underneath a palm tree certainly do look idyllic.
But noticing when my one-year-old says a new word is pretty awesome too. The way my boys light up when they see dadda walk through the door. Or the hilarious way they dance to any music with a beat. Suddenly the mundane are the best moments yet. Yep, it’s pretty cheesy. But being thankful about the moments, without the need for anything to present to others makes is actually quite satisfying. I’m just a mum, and that is OK.
Hannah Symister is a mother of two young boys and a travel photojournalist. Home base for Hannah is in Auckland, by the beach where she writes her blog www.cocostravelbag.com.
