It seems to apply so much to the life of a parent who has a child with an uncertain prognosis. How else can we get up, and do all the tasks required for living in a relatively calm manner, unless we take things one step at a time?
I feel challenged when I am so stressed that I have to remind myself constantly to stay in the moment. The sweet spot for me occurs when I'm living this way effortlessly. Sometimes I can actually go a few weeks at a time without thinking about the future and making guesses what that may look like.
It is harsh reality that all my maternal love cannot anchor my child with mitochondrial disease to the earth as long as I want. I am not ultimately in control. I can do all the research, take him to all the right doctors, try all the right medicines, and it still may not be enough.
But here's the thing, and we often forget it. There are no guarantees any child will make it to adulthood. There are accidents every day. There are fluke illnesses that take the life of an otherwise healthy kid. So I've been spending all this time assuming I'm different than other parents, and I am really not. Likewise, us adults are not invincible, either. Even those of us who are relatively young still and healthy have no guarantees on this earth.
We ALL have to live in the moment. It is truly all we have. We should take that trip, call that old friend, let our sons or daughters stay up just a little longer, and hug a bit tighter. I think those moments make us lucky, whether we get 1000 more of them still or just one. The fragility of life is best seen as creating our experiences' beauty rather than tainting it.
