When your work is The Internet, as mine is, all day long you are bombarded, as I am, with news of people doing amazing things. It’s inspiring – if that person can do that amazing thing, then maybe I can too! – and also very intimidating: why haven’t I done an amazing thing? I am so useless and tired and lazy!
It’s basically why Facebook makes people hate their friends.
All of that inspiration can drive a person mad. Some days, I embrace it and I feel like I can indeed do anything. I’ve been very productive at times. But some days, I am just so tired and I have so many things to do. Writing this little post right now is simply procrastination. I have a list up to my left elbow of the mundane household tasks that must be done before 7:30 tomorrow morning. In there somewhere must be time for me to sleep. After all, Epic needs energy.
But there are moments when I look at what is right in front of me and I see how what I am doing is huge and deserving of appreciation and epic in its own way. The other night I was too tired to move so I watched Brady playing a dancing video game. I sat back and appreciated his healthy body, his just-off-kilter sense of rhythm, his concentration, and his pure joy. I realized that there wasn’t anything more important than what we were doing right then and there. It flooded my body with that physical ache you get when you are completely conscious of just how much you love.
A simple moment. Others might not think it was so grand. Brady might not even remember it later in life. But it was remarkable for me, and I’m sticking it in my bag of things to remember when I feel insignificant, unimportant, uninvited, unappreciated, and any other un’s that I don’t like.
I made people. Maintaining them – that’s a pretty epic undertaking.
I couldn’t agree more Kim. I managed to take some time this weekend to watch my daughter swim in our neighbor’s pool next door. I didn’t bury myself in a book or my work, I just watched her beautiful strong body doing all the things kids do in a pool – swim laps badly, headstands, cannon ball jumps, and all kinds of crazy jumps she screamed at me to watch. And I had that feeling of “just how much I love.” THANK YOU!!!
It IS epic. And not small at all.
Love this post. Your last sentence says it all. 🙂
Epic indeed 🙂
Thank you to my kindred spirits, all you above!
so so true, Kimmy. Love you!
Last Thursday was “epic” for me. I didn’t feel like doing anything. jackson wanted to go to the pool, but I didn’t (and felt guilty about it) We ate infront of the tv. NFL pre-season was on. Jacks was asking about who the best defense, offense, QB were. So we looked it up and I read bits of articles aloud. We watched the game and had tickle fights on the couch.
At the of the night, he told me it was a really fun night “hangin’ out.”
Epic.
So profound and true. This maintaining is a true feat. Ironman shmironman we do it daily.