If you are a follower of my blog I have written about this before. It's important to repeat this and in different situations because I have found that visuals and examples are helpful to maintain perspective. Imagine a scenario of a young, overwhelmed parent trying to do her shopping with little ones pulling on her and a more seasoned parent or grandparent reminiscing on their now grown children while offering a smile and something like, don't blink because these are the best days. I understand how those words are meant to be encouraging, but this moment probably doesn't feel like one of the best days to this young parent. And those remarks can make the hard things worse...you get the point.
Now I'll share another example for today. My youngest is graduating. She will walk the stage at Old Dominion University on May 4th and collect not one, but two degrees. There aren't words to do express to how proud of her we are for this major milestone in her life. She lived at home during college and I would be remiss to think that the last four years have been or will be the best years of her life. I know she had some great times and some incredibly challenging and hard times. She has beautiful friendships, and lost a lot of sleep studying and doing assignments. She dealt with immature leadership in her sorority while also being mentored by some wise professors. I think that's the point. It's our ability to marry the good and the bad (if we could even use such generic terms). What I don't think is fair or helpful is when we romanticize a season of life that we aren't currently in and lose sight of the reality of the moment for those in the moment. I don't think there is a Best Time of Your Life. I have found that all meaningful life moments are made up of hard, rewarding, unsure moments. It's usually in retrospect that we see more good than bad, much life childbirth.
All of this to say, be thoughtful in those grocery store moments. Offer a helping hand over a guilt ridden, well meaning antidote. Be mindful with those celebrating huge life moments. Recognize that we can travel a similar path but experience very different situations and emotions along the way.
For my graduate, all the graduates, this who have worked so hard to achieve...don't forget to dance.
Much love,
