A Moment for Reflection

Working, cleaning, feeding, diapering, bathing, laundry, cooking, social events, the occasional craft project, swim class, etc. … as a mom I find myself constantly spinning in many different directions all the time. I go from a savvy business woman to a boo-boo healer to a personal chef and then to a shoulder to lean on. It’s a complex web we weave as mothers. Each strand is spun with love and purpose and is important to maintaining the entire structure. In all of the chaos, it’s hard to bring your mind to a quiet place for reflection and deep thought. I am very fortunate to have found my time for reflection every day. And the best part, it is a time I share with my little one.

Every night, Emma’s bedtime routine involves eating dinner, getting a bath, putting pjs on, and getting her bedtime bottle. I give her the bottle in her room with the lights off while I rock her. She is a hyper alert child. Any sort of light shining off anything is a distraction for her, so we keep it simple and serine with the lights off. I love rocking with her in my lap and feeling her deep breathing as she falls asleep. The darkness, the quiet, and the rhythm of the rocker give me time to slowly unwind and meditate on my day. Rather than having a bunch of jumbled thoughts rolling quickly through my mind all at once (wash the bottles, pre-heat the oven, pack lunches for tomorrow - every few seconds), I am able to pick a thought out and really concentrate on it, even the simplest thing (those peaches at the market were so fresh, I need to get more next time we are there; they have show and tell tomorrow at daycare I think that picture of Emma and her grandma would be a nice item to bring). This is my form of meditation in a way. Allowing my thoughts to be complete and detailed rather than hurried; clean off baby’s face, rinse spoon, get bath started. Just the simple space and time to develop my thoughts is an amazing experience to have once a day. Sometimes I just sit there and enjoy the calm and stillness of the room.

It also is a time for snuggling and bonding with my baby. Even though she is going through a clingy phase she is still a mover and a wiggler and it is hard to enjoy the sweetness of her existence while she is plowing through a pile of toys. I think she enjoys the time too. Even though we spend a lot of one on one time together throughout the day this time is so special to me, a time really for just us. Nothing else in the world matters, all time and space is suspended. It truly is a magical time.