Long For The Future, Love In The Present

       I sweep and vacuum a lot. No, I mean, like three to four times a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more, it depends. The reason is twofold. One, I hate littered floors - crumbs, leaves, uneaten apples, crusts from sandwiches (because apparently the crust will kill children if they eat it), whatever, I hate seeing them, and hate feeling them underfoot. Second, we have 12 little hands grabbing food to put into 6 mouths to fill stomachs that know no end. Yes, we have allotted meal times, but I feed them more than once a day, so we spill more than once a day. Hence, the multiple sweeping. One day, I was performing said sweeping, and I was over it. I began to dream a little dream that went a little like this:

       I look forward to the day where there's no pizza smushed into the carpet. Where there is no food smeared on the walls as I play the "WTH Is That?" game. When Legos aren’t scattered about like confetti in Time Square on the first. Days I won’t run around holding back swears because the pain of stepping on a Lego can be worse than childbirth. When the spills, stains and mysterious artwork on the walls disappear. Ahhh, yes, that will be a good day. I will have clean carpets, counters, and couches. I will have grownup decor! I will be able to cook from a love for food rather than cater a crowd for survival. That will be the day! 

       Then as I continued to sweep crumbs, and whatever else, I noticed I had swept up some legos (which I didn’t mind because we have four billion of them), and also noticed a piece of paper that had made it into the dustpan as well. As I read the words scribbled on the paper, the dream that was playing out in my head suddenly took a turn down KillJoy St. I suddenly realized what my picture perfect home will mean.

       The day my dream of nicer things becomes reality, is the same day when the giggles cease, running into mommy's arms is no longer their favorite game, and the love notes littering my kitchen floor no longer exist. The morning I come downstairs, and my house looks like a photo from Better Homes and Gardens is also the day that Goodnight Moon gets packed away. Oh, how I will wake up dancing the morning after I get a full night’s rest, but that also means that I will no longer be going in and hushing the children from their midnight conversations, or comforting a little one from a nightmare, or saying prayers with the children I have the honor of raising. 

       The picture perfect home and the restful nights will come with time, I know that, and look forward to that. However, I also know, that the very same day those dreams come true, I will long for yesterday. So, while I am drinking the same cup of coffee that I have reheated 142 times, and sweeping up crumbs and cookies mixed with Legos and love notes, I will constantly be reminding myself of how blessed I am to have a home to sweep, crumbs to clean, and love notes to gather. 
       We all long for the future. It might be better jobs, better homes, or even better lives. Let us be reminded as we long for our future, to love in the present. It's what we do in the present that helps shape our future. So, may we recognize our blessings, live and love well in our longing, and have few regrets in the years to come!

Until next time, Beautiful.