Pause the hustle + bustle: Find fun in life’s ordinary moments

The other day, out of nowhere, it hit me…

I was having fun.

It’s sad that this came as a shocking realization but thinking about it now, I don’t spend my days hoping to have fun with my children.

Our days are busy.

They begin with getting everyone clothed, fed and at least partly presentable before figuring out the to-dos for the day (and working play time around that schedule.) During those to-do breaks, I often take a moment for myself to drink something while it is still hot and maybe scan my Facebook feed for some sort of connection to the outside world. Then, it’s back to what needs to be done.

My little ones, Honour and Journey, are often with me during my errands. And they were with me on the day I had my little ‘aha moment.’ We were waiting for my phone to be fixed while enjoying a Whopper Wednesday together. Journey was giggling at the table beside us, her face covered in apple sauce, and Honour was trying to feed me french fries dipped in said apple sauce (mmm—the perfect addition to my delicious burger.)

We were sitting together, out of our normal routine, with all the time in the world.

I laughed, smiled and played with my children throughout our lunch. We had nowhere to get to, no event to get ready for and no clock watching. I had a moment to just be.

So in Burger King, I let myself have fun with no other thoughts on my mind. Trying to look at everything through my children’s eyes. The friendly girls beside us making silly faces at Journey, the construction workers waving at Honour as he peeked over the seat, listening to Honour’s stories, enjoying my fries and applesauce without the nagging feeling we had somewhere to be or some chore to accomplish.

Man, it was freeing.

And to top it all off—since my phone was getting fixed, I didn’t have it to whip out and snap a photo, so I was much more present.

I had so much fun in a booth at Burger King that day.

Please try it. Start something or go somewhere where you can leave the clock (and your worries) behind. Watch your children, interact with them, make them laugh and stop when you want to, not when you need to.