It Wasn’t Much, But to Her It Was Everything

We stopped to grab lunch at Chick-fil-A, and of course she wanted to run inside with me. She couldn’t go in without bringing an eye mask, pretend headphones, and a fake toothbrush. All essentials for ordering a chicken sandwich.

It took a few minutes before she noticed the play space, but once she did, she was locked in on it. Normally I would say, “Sure, go ahead”, but we had already waited a while, and I was sure our food would be coming soon.

In all honesty, it was just a little too far for me to keep an eye on her. The restaurant was crowded; I didn’t know where all the exit doors were, and I wasn’t comfortable sending her off.

Her heart shattered. She looked up at me with those puppy dog eyes as tears began to form. I promised her that we would come back. I may not follow through on everything I promise myself, but I’ve learned that when I make a promise to Emma, I better mean it. She does not forget.

She talked all about the play place when we got home and the following day. “Momma, when are we going back for chicken and fries?” she would ask. She wasn’t forgetting it.

On the day we were going, she was ecstatic! The play space wasn’t big, so I tried to level set her expectations. “We have never been there before, and we don’t know what it is going to be like,” I said to her. “Oh, it’s going to be great,” she responded. Nothing was squashing her excitement.

As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, she squealed with excitement. “That’s it, that’s it. That is where we are going,” she said. She couldn’t get out of her car seat fast enough, and when we got inside, she darted straight for the play space.

I looked at it and saw a small Chick-fil-A play space. She saw an adventure. It wasn’t much to me, but to her it was everything.

She had a blast climbing up the stairs, going through the tunnel, into the car, and down the slide. When other kids came in, she introduced herself and asked them if they wanted to play. She was giggling and smiling from ear to ear.

As I stood there watching her, I couldn’t help but think how we both saw the same play space but looked at it way differently than I did. I thought her excitement would wane because there wasn’t much to do there. Before she even entered the space, she decided it was going to be amazing!

This is one of the things I love most about watching her grow and experience the world. She doesn’t need for something to be extraordinary to get excited about it. She is excited about it before she even knows what it is, and that excitement lingers.

A tiny playground becomes an adventure. A yellow leaf on the ground is the most beautiful leaf she has ever seen. A trip to get chicken and fries becomes something she looks forward to.

As a “grown-up,” I have found myself measuring things before I even experience them. Is it worth my time? Is it something I really want to do? Is there something else I should be doing instead?

Emma doesn’t do that yet. She sees something that sparks her curiosity, and she runs right towards it, not looking back. This is something I wish for her to hold onto for as long as she can and something I want to get better at myself.

Every ordinary moment doesn’t have to become magical. But when we take the time to notice what could be waiting inside, we find some of the joy we may have missed had we not looked at all.

Emma has taught me that joy doesn’t require something bigger and better. It is choosing to recognize that what is right in front of us is enough.

Joy is not always extraordinary. It happens when we stop measuring the moment and simply allow ourselves to be in it.

What ordinary moment in your life might be filled with joy if you looked at it through the eyes of curiosity and wonder?

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