a day of observation

Today's goal was to speak less and listen more.  This included shutting of my mind and not allowing my thoughts to speak over the sounds of nature or the sounds of my children.  Today I will hear what they say and not respond with the usual, uh huh, or oh yeah?  Really listen and respond accordingly.  I want to be focused 100% on the present moment and not 80%.  Do one thing at a time pouring my heart into it and only focusing on that moment.

I heard the birds chirping in the tree outside my bedroom window with roosters in the near distance letting me know it is time to wake up.
I heard stories from my children about their wishes, their fears, what makes them happy and what makes them sad.
We played together, laughed so hard our muscles were sore, giggled until we couldn't catch our breath. We walked down Main St. while savoring the flavor of our frozen yogurt and stopping to smell every flower.  There was no rushing.  We did as we pleased staying grounded and centered.  We were aware of our surroundings, appreciating more than we ever have.  Being attentive kept us all happy.  I wish this would be the constant norm but as a mom, I have other areas that I have to attend to, leaving the children to fend for themselves while the laundry, cooking, cleaning... is all getting done.  But stopping my life to pay more attention to theirs and ours together brought a sense of joy to us all that when it's time to get back to my "work" they won't feel that urgency of need.  It worked.  I had time in the laundry room to smell the fresh clean clothes and feel the soft warm cotton as I folded {who am I kidding, I don't fold the laundry} piled the clothes into the basket.  The kids were content.  One playing in the dirt and the other reading a book outside.

I noticed the birds song was different as the sun was setting and the crickets began their chirp.
Today was peaceful.  It wasn't rushed as we went with the flow.  There was no resistance as we walked through the day with the wind at our back instead of our heels digging into the ground.  We followed our hearts because my mind was quite and able to listen.
Watching life is beautiful, it is magical, it is serene.