The Sabine Series 3/7: John/Dad

(THE SABINE SERIES 3/7: John/Dad)

One of the things I have learned to embrace because of who my daughter is, is simply to slow down a second and look around at where you are. I often have so many dots on my calendar that I should just assume that if I am awake there is somewhere else I am supposed to be. Sabine has, through who she is not any condition she may have, allowed me time to understand this philosophy in my own time. We were on vacation at the beach and had blocked off our schedule (2hrs here, then go to lunch, then see that thing, and then if we can squeeze it in go do this other thing) and when I was most likely not so calmly explaining this to her for the second time while standing on the beach, she just looked up and said “no, this is good.” Trying not to just go into parent you do what I say mode we looked at her and said “but we will miss those other things. Calmly running her hands through the soft khaki colored sand in sweeping circles she looks over at the water and replies, “look at this place… where else you want to go? No, this is good.” In so many ways she was and I have worked to try and filter that sense of contentment into more of how I operate. Some days are better than others and my calendar is still too full but at least now I also take time to simply pause and look around me. I set a time sometimes just to make sure I don’t cheat and cut out early but it has been such a blessing to work this into my life. For a full five minutes and get rid of every screen, phone, or other distraction and just look at the world around me and try to remember what she said. “look at this place… where else you want to go? No, this is good.”

We may get more things done when we move so quickly through life but I cannot honestly say that we do not see as much as we should, if that is all we do.

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