Thrills

Woo! Busy weekend! But, really who doesn't have a busy weekend..or a busy life? It's part of the joy of it, right? No seriously, I've been thinking about this. I was listening to the oldies station on the radio (80s is oldies...ach!) and Jack and Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp (I think that's what he was going by when that song came out???) came on..."Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone." So if you have the patience to read my babble about our weekend of suburban parental stuff...I'll get around to my thoughts on thrills.

Saturday there were errands to run (oops *E* had a Birthday party to attend and Mom left the gift shopping until last minute...just like something else she needed to pick up, *C* needed a pick up from a sleepover, *N* had an 11 am practice, *E* had that party at 1 and then there were baseball games at 6.) Fortunately the Husband and I combined forces, split up the kiddos and headed out to get it all done.


Sunday we all had a hard time getting out of bed but made it to Sunday School. After lunch *J* got his hair cut and I dashed to the craft store to search for some scrapbooking paper before my friend picked me up at 2 for five hours of scrapbooking. (I did five pages of when *E* was born..in 2004).

So I'm driving down the road singing along with the oldies (shudder) and started really thinking about those lyrics... My life is pretty boring. I mean I have friends who take fabulous vacations and live what I consider very sophisticated and interesting lives. They go places and do things. Me? I'm doing laundry, stepping on Legos, changing diapers...my monthly scrapbooking day is about as wild as it gets. ;) (Unless you're thinking about my beasties and yes, they can be wild. :) )

Don't think I'm complaining....I'm not. This is the life I chose. I'm content; happy even. But I started thinking about what the things are that make life worth living. Maybe I'm just not a thrill seeker? I don't think the big thrills are what it's all about. That right there probably explains so much about me. :O

Or maybe I find thrills in small stuff...a successful trip to Target (meaning by the time we checked out, I did not want to tear my hair out. :) ), hearing that my 10 yo played his best and hustled on the baseball field, teaching Sunday School to pre-kindergartners, eating meals as a family, getting all the kids to bed, watching a movie with the Husband...I do confess that sometimes I am envious of my friends' interesting lives, but we all have our unique lives and the grass is always greener....

But if the thrill of living is gone...does that mean we're only in it for the big stuff? The first date, the first kiss, the first anything? Is that what always needing more and bigger and better and keeping up with the Jones' is all about? Is it about constantly trying to find the big thrills? If it is...I think we're missing out on something. Correction...we ARE missing out on something. All you have to do is spend just a little time seeing things through the eyes of a small child to recognize this.

So while I get to live my mundane life, I have the privilege of seeing the small stuff and appreciating it. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the busyness and getting whatever done (am I being Mary or Martha?) that I miss things and when I miss things I forget about what life is about and the "thrill" of all the small stuff that means so very much.

I hope that somehow, I can model for my kids that the thrill of living is not about the big stuff and it's not something external. The thrill of living is in the actual act of living and breathing. It's a gift not to be taken lightly.

I pray you can find big joys (thrills even) in the little, mundane parts of your day.

-Peace