Saturday, October 1, 2011

Take Time to Smell the Roses


Being a parent, I find that my children are one of the best reminders about being present in the moment - not just because they tend to be better behaved when I'm authentically present with them, but because they are absolutely rooted in the moment.

This week I was reminded of how much we miss though, and how important it is to try to stay mindful.

We went to a nearby downtown area to go to a specific shop. It's only been in recent months that Acorn was capable of walking well enough, far enough, to take him to places like this - particularly without a stroller. Because of that, he's fascinated by city streets, sidewalks, and the things that go with them.

My husband is usually quick to move Acorn along when we're trying to get somewhere, but on this particular day, Acorn won out - walking back to the car, he was so fascinated by the flowers planted along side one business, he sat down in the middle of the sidewalk and refused to move.

He looked closely at the flowers, leaning over to practically put his nose on them. He touched them - a big deal, since the sensory issues involved in playing outside have been quite a struggle for him, but he's now at least exploring flowers and evergreens and tree bark; he'll walk across grass barefoot, when at the beginning of the summer he wouldn't walk on grass in shoes.

And we waited for what felt like both an eternity and only an instant, while he explored the flowers. Eventually he decided he was willing to get up and walk the last little bit to the car, and we did just that.

2 comments:

  1. What a great story, thank you for sharing. :)

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  2. I have an autistic son so I can relate to sensory issues. Lately he has started with an obsession over smells. I wish it were flowers, but generally it is stinky stuff he wants to smell. BOYS! lol

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