living life for the little things


I've been trying out a new state of mind lately.
In honesty, it's probably not all that new to me
as I tend to be Little Miss Look-On-The-Positive-Side most of the time.
But I've been trying to recapture a bit of what children have;
a bit of that wonder at the world,
embracing opportunities without fear
and living my life for the little things.

I guess it's sort of natural
when you spend all day everyday with a toddler,
watching them marvel and enjoy the slightest things,
that some of the wonder rubs off.
So much of what my son experiences
he is seeing or hearing or smelling or touching or tasting
for the very first time.
How incredible is that?

But the thing with firsts is once they are done
you can never get them back.
Once you've tasted a strawberry for the first time,
that's it,
you may taste other strawberries,
you may taste better strawberries,
but never that first one again.

And when you start thinking about life like that
it's really easy to change your perspective on things
and have a 'live life for the little things' attitude.
Because yes there will always be tomorrow to go to the park
but why waste today.
And there probably are chores to do on a Sunday morning
but wouldn't it be so much nicer to go for a walk together first.


We started out the year with a weekly mission to make memories,
and with the exception a few sickness ridden weekends we've stuck to it.
The memories don't have to be anything fancy,
it might be a trip to the coast
or a day in our PJs,
a silly photoshoot at home
or a weekend away with family,
a play session with some bubbles
or visit to the park.
But we do 'something'.
Something of quality.
Something together.

It is so easy to get bogged down in things,
to worry about things that you can't control
and to waste time.
But the one thing that is for sure
is that time keeps ticking on
whether you embrace it or not.

Each day we have a fresh opportunity
to make some memories
not just for our children
but for ourselves.
We get a fresh set of possibilities everyday
but we don't ever get yesterday's again.

I heard someone say recently that you don't get an overdraft on life.
And that really stuck with me.
Because you only get what you get.
And you can waste what you get on silly things
or you can invest what you are given wisely.

I feel so lucky that I have been given so much
and I intend to make the most of it.
Once those first times have happened and those memories have been made
they can't be lived again
but they can be remembered.
We keep them locked within our hearts
where we can think back on them from time to time and be glad.

And I for one plan on filling my heart up with good stuff,
and my children's hearts too.
Because while we might not get an overdraft on life
I reckon we can have a very full savings account
for those rainier days
if we take the time to invest wisely.


16 comments

  1. What a fantastic post! I hear every word and given my last post will be investing wisely in the memory bank. A huge thank you for a positive start to my day! Loving your photos as always xxx

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    1. Glad you liked it. I do sometimes have to make the effort to remember this attitude, especially when busy or stressed out, but then I try and remember that life is just too short and it's the little things that matter. X

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  2. I have a lovely fridge magnet that reminds me 'Happiness is not a destination, it is a journey' and it always make me think how important it is to appreciate everything we have today, a bit like your post. Lovely, and I hope you make millions of memories x

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    1. I love that saying too. And its a great idea to have it as a daily reminder on the fridge. It's one of those things where when you think about it, it's easy to grab every moment, its just that life gets in the way sometimes. x

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  3. Wow this is a really lovely post! I read it twice!! Children are so good at reminding us of everything that is good about life and it's always the simplest and littlest of things x

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    1. Awww, what a lovely comment. Children definitely make you see life differently. My little guy spent ten minutes running up and down a slope the other day, he had the biggest smile on his face. Life is one big adventure if you just let it be. x

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  4. What a lovely idea, I shall have to try harder myself with that one :) I love the pictures, really enhances this post beautifully :)

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  5. Beautiful post! Life goes by in an instant and it is so easy to take things for granted, I always try to be positive about everything I do, but it is easy to get bogged down. I shall remember that saying 'you don't get an overdraft on life' memories are the most important thing and I look forward to making lots of them! : ) Reading that just gave me the kick up the backside that I needed, so thank you for making me take the time to think and remember to be grateful for everything even when things seem tough! xx

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    1. I think that word grateful is the important one. We all have things that we want, but it sometimes makes it easy to forget what you already have which you wouldn't be without. Glad you liked the post. X

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  6. I love your perspective. Sometimes I read stories out there in blog world that break my heart and make me want to squeeze my children even closer or go and check on them just one more time at night. So taking time out of each day to do something together and be grateful for it is so important. I'm like you - I really think about the memories we're creating for our children. And I love it - it's so much fun! Look forward to hearing more about your memory journey. x

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    1. I think one of the reasons I'm do obsessed with taking photos is that all you are let with is photos and memories so I want a life full of them. Children definitely give you a different perspective and the world does seem a bit more heartbreaking, which is why I want to have as much loveliness in my life and theirs as I possibly can. X

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  7. Great post!!! I (also!) love your perspective! With a little baby boy due very soon, I want to think about the days and life in general like this! It sounds like you're a very wise lady :) Your son is so precious!

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    1. Aww congratulations. I bet you that your little boy will make you think differently without you even inking about it. You'll just be so desperate to make his life special and happy. Glad you enjoyed the post. X

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  8. I love that!! A mission to make memories. I need to adopt this perspective. Its easy to fall into routine and just get through the day, especially with a little one, but how many moments am I missing out on when that is my attitude? Thanks for this reminder today.

    Stopping by from Finding Beauty!

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    1. Ahh, thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you liked the post. I do think it's kind of a case of reminding yourself to grab every chance. It doesn't happen in this house all day, every day; but I try to take some time each day to just really enjoy my little monkey and appreciate what we've got. And every week we try to do at least one quality thing as a family on our little memory making mission.
      Off to visit your blog now. X

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