Do you ever think about how the “nothing moments” are really the “everything moments”? Our culture focuses so much on the big things that are often meant to impress. But I find more joy in the little things. Sometimes I call them the “Seinfeld moments” because they are snippets of everyday life. But really aren’t those little snippets strung together over the years what matter most?
The conversations I have with my kiddos while we are eating breakfast, or driving home from school or hanging out in our backyard are some of my happiest snippets of life. Over the years, I’ve scribbled some down on random pieces of paper that are all over my house. Here are a few that I especially love…
“Hey Mommy, I want an otter for my birthday. (pause for effect) I’m not lying.”
“I think we just parked in a cloud. But it still feels like air.”
“In New York City you can touch a pigeon if you have a hot dog.”
“I have a goal to high five everyone in my class and the other class in one day. I almost did it today.”
Conversation about our parakeet:
“I put Yeti in my fanny pack.”
Me: “Did you zip it?”
Looks at me in disbelief, “No!”.
(As if zipping it was nuts, but having a parakeet in a fanny pack is completely normal conversation.)
One more from a few years ago that still gets me. You know those radar speed limit signs that display your current speed when driving? They blink if you are going over the speed limit, and remain static if you are driving the speed limit or below? Here’s how it goes every time we see one coming:
“Loooooook MOM!! 36, 38, SLOOOOOOOOW DOOOOOOWN. Get it right on 35. 33, almost….come on. YESSSS! 35!!! See it’s not blinking now. YAAAAAY MOOOOOM!”
See my Pinterest board with loads of little unexpected lovely things to look at here.
Photograph of a little “nothing moment” in our lives by Samantha Wiley.