Perspective

Here’s the funny thing about perspective – it’s hard to really change yours until you’re really forced to see it from someone else’s.  My days move along by my accomplishing tasks.  I like to check one thing off the list and move onto the next.  This mentality suits my running quite well, but I seem to maintain it when dealing with my kids.  A typical Saturday involves me dressing them, feeding them, taking them to at least one activity to burn off energy and get them all out of the house, and this all has to be planned around my and my husbands’ endurance activities and chores which need to get done.  SO, I tend to end up spending a lot of time “running the show” and trying to get people to move on to the next activity.

After an afternoon of swimming and lunch with the kids the other day, I looked at  some of the video my 5 yr old had been taking.  All I can say is that we were in completely different worlds.  The one below was taken (without my knowing) while I was trying to wrap up lunch and get the kids in their bike gear so we could get home.  I had been making “we’re leaving now” noises for about 10 minutes before this video was filmed.  I was busily trying to get kids to finish their “last bit”, get into their snowsuits, pack up all activities which were lying around the table, pay the bill and get on to the next daily activity.  As you can see, I am in no way the central character in this world.  In fact, I think my voice actually sounds like the adults in Charlie Brown.  There is an entirely different agenda here, and it’s not rushed or stressed – it’s completely in the moment.  Does it look like the author of this video is trying to get his stuff together and get ready to get out the door?  Sigh…

It took discovering and watching this to fully understand how difficult it must be for someone living in the moment to understand and comply with “my agenda” all the time.  I have a mental “to do” list, and they can’t see it.   And here I thought my kids’ worlds revolved around me.  Hunh…  Sometimes it’s good to slow down and see the world as a 5 yr old does.  Showing more patience was one of my New Years’ resolutions and I’ll try to apply it to my running and my family.  Goodness knows – I need it!!!