I remember as a child, my mother told me that the older you get, the faster time flies.  Of course, as a young girl, I thought this sounded crazy.  How could my days go any faster?  Now that I’m older, and a mom, I have realized that most of her mom-isms were not crazy – more like quirky truths.  Because she was right.  There are days or weeks that I will be exhausted, and look back and realize it is all a blur of activity and was over in the blink of an eye.

We are tackling so much in the hours we are given that time really does seem to just zip by.  The danger, of course, is that we are so busy doing that we risk not experiencing life.  I am just as much at fault with this as many other R.W’s – but it can be hard to break that cycle.  We all know the multitude of phrases out there that have become fodder for popular country songs….life is short, don’t waste a minute, and “live life like you’re dyin’ “.  Eeesh, that’s a lot of pressure.

I bought this bracelet (yes, I am a big Alex & Ani fan) some time ago to remind myself simply to not get so caught up in the “stuff” of life that I forget to literally stop and smell the roses, and even more to the point, appreciate them.  Sure, there are plenty of moments in life that we don’t want to linger through – things like stressful work moments, or driving through snow storms, being ill, or receiving bad news.  But in their own way, these ugly moments have their purpose – to remind us to appreciate the good ones even more.

There is another reference that is being tossed around now:  “First World problems.”  I actually like this phrase.  It doesn’t necessarily belittle whatever issues we are having, but it does remind us that we should feel lucky to have some of the problems we do, compared to so many in this world who can’t even dream of having them.  Like when we get grumpy that the outfit we really wanted to wear was too wrinkled so we had to grab something else out of our crowded closet as a last minute substitution.  Annoying, yes.  Yet isn’t it lovely to not only have clothing, but a closet to put it in?

In my new-found attempt to “Live in the Moment”, I am trying to take extra mental notes of those little instants in life that I really do completely appreciate.  I’m not talking about those miraculous happenings like experiencing a sunrise on a tropical beach, or those Hallmark flashes like witnessing a baby’s first smile.  Of course these are amazing things, and if we can’t appreciate THOSE moments, then we probably need deep psychological help.  No, I’m thinking of those other more run-of-the-mill times that make us smile, or bring us just a moment of peace, that little “ahhhhh” feeling inside.   To that end, I present the start of my First-World-Real-Woman-Moments-to-Appreciate list.   These are in no particular order…and I encourage and welcome you to add your own petitions.

• A rare day to sleep in and not rush.
• An empty dishwasher.
• A good hair day.
• Wearing a great pair of shoes.
• Getting a pedicure.
• That feeling after a really good workout (of any kind!).
• A fresh baked chocolate chip cookie.
• Being proud of your child for something as simple as being kind.
• Popping open a nice cold coca-cola.
• Uncovering green sprouts in the garden after a long winter.
• That 5 minutes when the whole house is clean and the laundry is done.
• Your pet’s furry face.
• Singing loud and proud in the car to a great song .
• Receiving a compliment.
• Escaping reality to get sucked into a really good book, show or movie.
• Sunshine.
• Hugs.
• Good parking karma.
• Fuzzy socks on a cold day.
• Dark chocolate.
• Pink nailpolish or lipstick .
• Laughing until you snort.
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I wish you a day of moments.