Be Here Now

It's 9:50 pm and my husband has just turned in for an early night after a three day weekend. I miss him, I thought, five minutes after he went to sleep. We had been together the entire weekend, so I wasn't quite sure why I felt so mushy after finding myself alone in the living room with a goblet of red wine and a plate of artisanal cheeses. That should be girl heaven, but for some reason I had this unshakable feeling of missing my man and wanting to steal another couple minutes with him before we head back to a grueling work week.

I started to mentally review my day: food shopping, a quick jog, and cooking. That's all I had done, and Ryan was by my side for every waking moment in between. But I also realized I had spent a good portion of the day tweeting, blogging, and Facebooking. My laptop was planted firmly on my lap for a good five hours today alone, and even though it was Labor Day (a day to slow down and honor those who work), I clearly wasn't getting the message.

After realizing I had spent a good three days with (and without) my husband, I snuck into the bedroom to give him a kiss on the forehead. I sat there on the bed for a few minutes, listening to him breathe. I felt sad that I distracted myself the entire weekend when I should have been soaking up every moment together. We've both been working like dogs and we were so excited for a weekend without obligations. What was wrong with me that I couldn't let go? Why couldn't' I unplug for a few days (or at least a few hours) and enjoy my time off with the love of my life?

I wrote a chapter in SPARKLE about being present in the moment. I actually made myself go back and read it to remind myself of how important it is to indulge in the "here and now." We get so caught up in routines and feeling like we need to be connected to the world at all times, that we sometimes forget how important it is to be connected to the ones we love most.

So although I'm about to embark on another busy week, I will make time for the things that matter most. I refuse to get so wrapped up in my work that I regret not spending enough time with my family. I will make time for the little things, even when it feels like there are so many big things that still need to get done.

Wine and cheese tastes way better when it's shared, anyway.