I have just finished watching my son play in the backyard. He has been jumping on the trampoline for the last twenty minutes. I picked him up from his after-school activity, parked in our garage and he threw down his backpack and ran back outside. “I need to get my energy out mom!” he said. He jumped up and down with obvious joy. The leaves from previous years gently blew around on the ground and the smell of spring was in the air.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
He would then suddenly stop and sit and gaze into the woods. I wondered what deep thoughts he harbored when suddenly he would bounce back up in such an abrupt manner, that even Tigger would have been surprised. Bounce! Bounce! Bounce! The joy he felt was infectious. My heart started to burst wide open, because after all, isn’t it the most simple things in life that truly bring happiness? For a brief moment I thought that perhaps I would sneak out there one night and bounce around. I still may try that; alone and in the dark during a time when no one would see! Perhaps I will need to wear Depends. You ladies know what I mean. Childbirth doesn’t make it easy to bounce. I’ll also need a sports bra. OK got it. I will be prepared and I will bounce.
He stayed out there quite a while and unknowingly left me with various emotions. I love these boys desperately and they teach me something every single day. Today’s lesson: enjoy small moments of joy as if your heart would burst because tomorrow may bring rain. When life hands you happiness, feel it with your entire heart and soul so you can pull it out when you need it most.
Play with Play-Doh. Shoot hoops and play Barbies. Having kids or grandkids gives us permission to be a kid again. Don’t have kids? Feed your soul. Go for a walk. Play music. Do something creative. Pay attention to the breeze, the smell in the air, just take a minute. Stop and feel. Happiness is about the little moments, it’s about the journey, it’s about what you feel deep down in your soul. Everything else doesn’t matter. When this life of ours is all over, let’s look back and say “I truly lived,” instead of saying “I truly regret.”
It’s never too late. Until it is.
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