Yesterday was a typical Saturday with a busy schedule and a long to-do list. But I’m grateful I decided to toss the list and prioritize “being” over “doing.”
My son and I were heading to the sporting goods store in the morning to replace his lost soccer ball and get new socks for his growing feet. It would be a quick trip since I had a yoga class at noon, but my instincts told me to cancel my yoga reservation, and I did.
We ended up wandering through the store at a slower pace. He found a women’s soccer jersey on clearance that he thought was perfect for me. We laughed at strange things in the store, like Oreo-flavored protein powder.
And then he suggested we go into the attached shopping mall, which we haven’t done since the pandemic started. I wouldn’t have been receptive to his suggestion if I’d been in “to-do” mode, and he probably wouldn’t have even said it if I had been in that mindset.
We wandered around. We went into the bookstore and a toy store. We got a snack. I heard nostalgic music from the 80s and 90s and told him about hanging out at the mall with my friends when I was his age. In the car, we listened to more nostalgic music on the FM radio and sang along loudly (and, in my case, off-key).
My son is growing up, and I don’t know how much longer he’ll want to hang out with me at the mall and sing along to old songs. I realize how often I’ve treated these errands as obligatory to-dos rather than the fleeting and precious moments that they are.
I’m glad I made space to simply “be” with my son, and I encourage you to consider where you can prioritize being over doing in your life.
