My daughter had a sleepover this weekend. The kind that revolves around the promise of a late night with a sugar hangover to mark the morning after. The kind filled with giggles over nothing, random acts of dancing, and moments of running around for no particular reason. We had one of those weekends where we stepped out of time, and totally enjoyed being in the moment. If I could bottle the feelings that take place in these little bits of life, they’d be priceless.

As half of the parents of said children, we had all been navigating a ton of stress. (I’m not the only one looking for a job due to the economy right now, unfortunately.) As I look back on the past couple of days, I see why they were needed so much by the parents and children alike. We spend so much time focusing on the stressors of everyday life (understandably since we all have bills to pay) that we forget to actually stop and enjoy what that day might bring.

We stay glued to the device in our hand that is constantly feeding us news that scares us, visual images that can make you feel inferior, and all the while real life is happening around you. As we were enjoying the last few days, none of that mattered. We as parents laughed, talked about our challenges, and gave ourselves permission to be ridiculous (which even earned us some eye rolls from the kids).

It really has me thinking today, at what point in our life do we go from having those feelings of sleepovers, riding your bike with no hands eyes closed, laughing until your sides hurt, and jumping out of the swing, to going a whole day focused on what isn’t going right in this moment. How could we gain a little of that free spirit back to balance the heaviness that daily adulting can bring?

I watched my daughter conquer a fear this weekend. She hates costumes…all costumes. I mean a sweaty palms at the sight of a Santa kind of fear, so she was in no way interested in trick or treating. Last minute, she decided she was going for it, and luckily friends had a spare Freddy costume. As a group we had so much fun taking them around, and I loved seeing her step out of her comfort zone. I kept thinking, if only we could bottle this moment for later.

If only we could take out that shiny bottle when life feels too real, pop that cork, and wallow in all of those blissful feelings pouring over us while they cover all of the holes life can leave. If I could bottle that ( and put it on a shelf at Target) I could be on a whole other Kim K. level 🙂

I challenge you today to take a moment. Take a moment to do something to remind yourself of those lighter days. Take 10 minutes to sit in the sun, walk barefoot in the grass, sit on a swing in the park, or even have Fruity Pebbles for dinner. Just do something that makes you happy, and reminds you of the freedom that should never be trapped in a bottle on the shelf. No matter how pretty the bottle.