Hello! I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend! We took Livi apple picking … it was a blast — more on that next weekend 🙂
In this week’s post, I’m reminiscing a bit about this past summer with Livi, and sharing with you some of the things I’ve learned in the last few months. If you saw my Insta on Friday about this post, you know that I’ve undergone a great deal of growth and personal development in the last few months — really ever since Livi started really crawling and babbling. Probably because for the first time, she’s really started to show her personality, and show little glimmers of independence. She’s becoming her own little person, and it’s the most wonderful thing to watch.
I’m sure this isn’t news to all the other momma’s out there, but it’s caused all sorts of unexpected emotions and thoughts to surface … and it’s reminded me of things that I think we all inherently know as human beings, but that so easily get lost once we venture out in the big, bad world where ambition, competitiveness, obligations, and disappointments abound. It becomes like second-nature to be pessimistic, to stress and obsess about everything (even the small, meaningless things), to hold grudges, to lose spontaneity and curiosity, and sadly sometimes, to lose hope. But in a few short months Olivia has reminded me, that’s not who we’re meant to be, and it’s not who I choose to be.
So here they are — the 5 Life Lessons I Learned From My 14-Month Old Daughter …
Focus on the Good
Olivia, being only 14 months old, has never really been hurt. Well, sure, she’s fallen and physically hurt herself … it’s part of learning to walk! But, she has yet to feel the sting of emotional pain — arguably much worse than any physical pain. She hasn’t felt disappointment, she hasn’t been let down. She doesn’t really know anything other than happiness. She laughs, she smiles, and she sees everything through a lens of positivity and possibility.
A flower, a toy she likes, or when daddy gets home at the end of the day — all these seemingly small, insignificant things bring her pure joy. It’s written all over her face.
Why can’t we all look at life this way … ignore the pain and negativity of the past that threatens to distort our view of the future, and just see each new moment for what it is: a chance to enjoy and take in this amazing gift we’ve been given called life?
Be Curious
Related to the previous point — Olivia has so much to experience, and she’s exposed to new things every day.
As a result, she’s curious and in awe of the simplest of things. The texture of our living room rug, the sound of the dishwasher, the taste of a strawberry … there’s excitement around every corner.
At some point, we lose that curiosity and accept that a strawberry is just a strawberry. Heck, sometimes we don’t even take the time to actually taste and enjoy the strawberry as it goes down — I mean, why slow down to experience the flavor or texture when we already know what it’s like!? Because when I see Olivia’s face when she tries something new, I’m reminded that life should be a continuous journey… an opportunity to try new things and genuinely enjoy the things we already know we like!
Don’t take everyday moments for granted — if there’s an opportunity to try something new, embrace it. Don’t accept that anything is as it seems, look at all experiences, even ones you’ve done before, as an opportunity to learn something new. Never lose your sense of wonder.
Never Give Up
Since giving birth to Olivia, she has learned so much! She’s learned to eat, sit up, roll over, crawl, walk, say a few words, stack things up, close things, blow kisses, dance, and the list goes on an on.
Imagine how little she would have learned if after trying to take her first bite, or her first step, she just quit. But she knew what she wanted, and she kept trying. How is it that we lose this impulse? So frequently when things get challenging, we pack up and go home. Livi has reminded me how much there is to accomplish, when you’re committed and you don’t give up.
Love Unconditionally
When’s the last time you were as happy to see someone as your baby is to see you when you get home? Chances are, it’s been a really long time. The smile on Livi’s face when I walk in the door after my morning workout is infectious — there’s nothing that could maker her happier in that moment. She’s just happy to have me. Period. This is what unconditional love looks like. She doesn’t have any expectations … she’s not going to be disappointed in me if I don’t pick out the right outfit for her or not take her to the park at the right time. She just loves being with me, plain and simple.
Somewhere along the way, we lose this impulse too. Even with the people we truly love the most. We develop expectations, we take them for granted, and we become disappointed if they don’t deliver. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not possible to be in an adult relationship with someone and not have expectations — accountability to one another is critical to a healthy relationship. But we go overboard. We get upset about stupid, meaningless things … things that in the grand scheme of things, just don’t matter.
Livi has reminded me that I need to do better — to see the people I love for who they are (flaws and all), and remember why I love them, regardless of what they do or don’t do, such as leave the dirty diaper on the ground at the foot of the changing table yet again 🙂 My test: if the person you love were gone tomorrow, does what you’re so upset about right now really matter?
Forgive
Perhaps one of the most powerful lessons of which Livi has reminded me is to forgive. Babies don’t hold grudges. Ok, they may get upset at you for a moment when you take their favorite toy away, but it passes so quickly. Within two minutes, Livi is back over with a smile looking to snuggle. Why can’t we all move on from conflict like that?
Of course, there are some types of hurt that are so deep, it is near impossible to let go. Having your heart broken is quite different from losing your favorite toy, right? Yes, but the lesson remains. Forgiveness, at it’s root, is about you, not the other person. Your healing can only begin once your anger subsides. And, notice I said it’s sometimes near impossible. That is true — under some circumstances it may be the hardest thing you’ve ever faced in your life … but I truly believe it’s always possible. It just takes strength, courage, and self-respect.
And there you have it — the 5 Life Lessons that Livi has done so well to remind me of in the last few months. I hope she continues to remind me, and teach me new things about life and myself every day … it’s been one of the most unexpected, yet truly wonderful gifts of motherhood I’ve experienced yet.
What have you learned from your little one — send me a note or leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
And stay tuned for next weekend’s post on our trip to the apple orchard! As I said before, today we took Livi apple picking! I was so excited for this — it’s one of my favorite fall events, and last year Livi was too young (only about 3 months old) to enjoy it! This year, she had a blast. I’m so excited to share all the details with you next weekend, plus a few of my favorite fall recipes!
Until then …
xoxo, K
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