A few months ago, my 9-year old daughter received a fabulous pair of shoes. She hunted these shoes, longed for them, and generally stalked them. Moments after she opened the box, she slipped these pinkalicious sneaker shoes on her hungry feet, a extra spring in her already-bouncy step. “I love them!!” she cooed as she danced around the house in these fantastic, too-pricey, long-awaited shoes.
So, it was with some surprise when I didn’t see the shoes again for days. And then a week or so went by. And then another and another week. When I asked her about them, she replied “They’re great. I’m just saving them”.
Those of you with children (or those of you that once were children) know one fact about kids—they grow. And grow and grow. So, when the saved-shoes came out again a couple months later, they were tight. And that was just the beginning. Eventually too tight to wear, and a sad little pumpkin face with saved-brand-new-looking shoes that she didn’t get to enjoy because she protected them from getting dirty(listing on Craig’s later—no, just kidding :))
I can see myself in this save it attitude. As adults, we can save it for later or, cling a little too tightly, you know? I’m not talking about delayed-gratification, or even the push towards a goal—I’m talking about the getting exactly what you want, exactly when you want it, but instead of savoring it, we “save” it. Like when we save the good china for “special” occasions, rather than using it more frequently. Or perhaps more importantly, when we hold back on putting ourselves 100% into the conversation, or the moment, or the class, or the whatever, because we are “saving” our energy.
Wouldn’t it be something: if we could relax in the moment with the already-present joys, savoring the heck out of them, and trusting that the next moment will be just as amazing? Trusting that there really is true abundance and we will receive exactly what we need exactly when we need it… I certainly don’t have this one sewed up, but if you see me wearing all my favorite sunglasses at once—well, you’ll know just what I’m working on!
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