Finding Joy in Letting Go

By: Elise Holuta

The past several months I have been challenged to live in the present, finding joy in each moment. I’m finding that this is not as easy as it sounds. We wake up with an expectation of what the day will look like but even before we’ve finished our first cup of coffee, the first curveball is thrown. How quickly our mood changes and becomes set for the rest of the day. Well, maybe I should just speak for myself - but I’m sure you can relate. It is easy to forget that each moment presents an opportunity to find joy. As the mother of a very active 21-month-old and a sweet, very dependent 5-week-old, I have had to stop myself throughout the day and remember the moment. I have had to let go of my own ideals of what the day is to look like and simply allow the moments to bring their own joy. Granted, not every moment warrants joy, but often it is my own mood that keeps me from joy - not the moment.

These precious moments with little one(s) running around the house, leaving a mess in their wake, and testing their limits (and also yours) are so very fleeting. I’m finding that when I’m able to let go of my own agenda and be more in tune with each moment as it comes (and goes), joy is the outcome. Days seem to flow more smoothly and we find a rhythm that leaves the entire family in better moods with fewer battles.

For me, this has required letting go of the idea of an ‘Instagram-perfect’ home and family. My home (and my son) are quite messy at the end of the day, dishes take much longer to complete (thanks to little hands eager and willing to “help”), laundry ends up on a head on the floor after several failed attempts to fold it... and the list goes on.

Looking around at the end of the day, I see that (almost) everything that is out of place. I have to make a choice to let go and remember those little hands that created this mess - little hands that are learning, exploring and discovering.