Life Lessons From Indy
Indy, our 4 year old, had just been discharged from the hospital when he started exhibiting signs of spreading redness the night he came home. This was one of the three alarming symptoms we were told to look out for as he was released from the hospital. So, of course, my worried little heart and brain banded together down a worrisome path. And then my husband, Matt, shared the most prophetic observation that blew my mind.
Backtracking a little, Indy has come to realize that when a band-aid comes off, so does the hair attached to it, and that has been super painful for him. And so, the thought of the IV bandage coming off his arm the morning of his discharge created a lot of worry that started from the moment he woke up until the IV was removed 3 hours later. As Matt observed, “Indy spent three full hours worrying about pain in the future.” And I thought to myself, “Now isn’t that an f-ing Metaphor for Life!”
As a kid all the way through my adulthood, I have spent so much time worrying about some kind of “pain” in the future. I have literally spent my whole life practicing the act of worrying. It’s something I know so many of us do, and to many of us, worry feels natural. “Worry” was exactly what I was experiencing as I started thinking about all the terrible things that might happen to our son in the near future because the redness had come back and it appeared to be spreading. It’s all I knew to do considering I have practiced it my WHOLE. ENTIRE. LIFE. My mind was blown!
I was suddenly forced to ask myself, "What does a life looks like when I'm not constantly practicing worrying about some sort of proverbial pain that rarely ever manifests." How else could those bedtime moments have been filled with something other than worry? In that moment, I could have made Indy laugh, and I could have laughed with him, and it would have been so much fun! But I was more focused on the future than the present and I lost that moment. And, there is my husband whispering in my ear again, “let’s just stay present, and enjoy the moment!” The same words that won me over when we first met.
These big aha’s always seem easier said than done. But honestly, the answer became obvious to me. It is practicing staying in the moment with the intention of mastery. It’s recognizing when I’m starting to worry, forgiving myself for skipping down that yellow brick road, and practicing (yet again!) being in that moment that is already morphing in a forward direction.
As for Indy, it was just an allergic reaction to an infiltration from the IV. Big sigh of relief! He is back to good health, and if anything, those moments of worrying about pain eventually turned into a practice of braving the moment for both of us. So, here’s to practicing the mastery of staying in the present from the best to the toughest of times!
Who’s joining me?
