Little Moments

I know, I complain all the time about how busy we are and how we never have time for anything. Needless to say it's going to be that way until December at least. I promise here and now to stop complaining about it-after this post.

Driving home from a 12 hour work day yesterday, I heard Brad Paisley's "Little Moments". If you don't know the song or can't remember the lyrics, it's pretty simple. He sings about all of the crazy things that happen in marriage and how they are the little moments that he hopes he always remembers because they make him the happiest. When I got home yesterday, Mr. Green was already studying for his EMT class and I knew it would be a long night. I opened the office door and plopped down into his lap and I snuggled right into his neck, breathing in his cologne and body wash smell, one I have missed terribly over the last few weeks.

I realized during that one minute of closeness, that that was my little moment. It was the only thing I looked forward to after a long days work. It wasn't watching a movie or going on a date, or even having the time to be intimate with him after a long day that I had to look forward to, it was the simple minute in his lap, with his arms around me, breathing the same air, that I wanted so badly, for that is all I can hope for at the end of each long day this semester.

That simple moment of pure joy gave me the energy I needed to clean the house, go shopping for groceries and finally be able to climb into bed after an incredibly long day. As I got to thinking about that moment yesterday, plenty of other moments came into my memory. One being a few weeks before the summer ended. I was feeling awfully sick and we were at my in-laws house. After lunch we all went in the living room and Mr. Green and I took the loveseat. We just snuggled up and I fell asleep on him and it was like we were dating again.

The next thing that was surely a moment I will always remember and be grateful for was Friday after my second day at my new job. I had come home after working my new job and my old job all in one day. The person I look after at my new job has a Traumatic Brain Injury and was in a deep depression Friday and could only speak of ending his life. He was angry and me and pushed me a few times. I took it well, but and I had told my mom about it without a hint of emotion. As soon as I got home that night, a wave of emotion flooded my body and I began crying. Mr. Green just let me cry. He held me and asked me what made me emotional about the situation and help me gain perspective about what had happened. I am now ready for another week at my new job, with a renewed commitment to no take things personally.

Another one that came to mind was this past Saturday. I had to work and soon after I got home, Mr. Green had to leave for a Men's activity with our church that he was in charge of planning. I curled up on the couch and streamed the UNC-ECU game. I talked to him before the activity started and he told me to come visit. I told him "No thanks, I don't want to be the only wife there". (I was incredibly flattered that he wanted me to be there even though it was only men. I thought men liked doing man things without their wives around.) He got home around 11PM that night and I was ready for bed. He sat down on the couch and said "So, I bragged about you a lot tonight". Really?, I thought. "I told all the guys how easy it is to be married to you and how much fun we have doing absolutely nothing, and how you are cooler than a lot of guys, you know more about sports, you are so relaxed and you let me do the things I want to do and buy what I want to buy." (It's true I do.) I told him "It is easy, we are best friends and we don't have much to argue about, but we have plenty to talk about and laugh about and I would rather hang out with you than any one else, and I know I complain about how we have no friends, but most of the time I am just content to be with you and no one else, so I don't really care that we don't have many friends here". I also told him "I do let you buy whatever you want, but you buy me the things that I really want too, except a dog!"

The story of him bragging about me was confirmed at church when a few of the guys who went to the activity told me of Mr. Green's bragging. I was flattered and it was another one of those "little moments" that I hope I never forget.

What are your little moments? My advice is to enjoy the moment you are in. Stop worrying about the future. Stop trying so hard to plan and prepare for what's next that you forget about why you are actually here. None of us are guaranteed a future, but we are guaranteed right now- this moment. Use every moment of your life to the best of your abilities. I know we will all get caught up with our infatuations of the future, but I hope that we never lose sight of the here-and-now and that we can make something of it so we aren't left with a full future, but an empty past.

With love and hope for the day,
The Little Green Girl