Watching it Grow

I had the honor of spending time with my granddaughter Ariah this weekend.  I noticed that I am discovering so much more about her.  Her likes, her dislikes, her personality, her flare and style, and even at age 5, the way that she processes information.  I am literally “watching her grow”. 

It’s funny, because I am at the stage in my life where I am aware of what I am doing.  Let me explain.  It’s not like I’ve never seen anyone grow before, I have a daughter who is grown. Looking back I was tasked with other responsibilities, like provision, education, protection etc., and even though I can remember the moment of her conception, and the exact moments leading up to her birth, and celebrated the milestones in her life, I concentrated on her future wanting it to be better and brighter, and perhaps did not give her present the full attention it deserved.  As parents we tend to do that. 

There are many events in our lives in which we fail to take full advantage of watching it grow like: careers, personal growth, educational pursuits, businesses, children and even love.  One reason may be that in our mind, its completion, or the final destination is better than where we are right now.  Take the entrepreneur for example; everyone knows that the startup of a business is a very trying time.  Obtaining funding and investors for the startup determines when and how your business gets on its feet.  The entrepreneur dreams of the day when their business and the profits from this business is exactly how he or she visualized it…profitable.  When success has been achieved, the entrepreneur then begins to look back over their business career recounting what it took to get there, but can never really say that they appreciated going through all this until they have reached the end, or what they consider successful.  During its lean times, the business owner may often have thoughts of giving up, but they don’t because their sight is fixed on its completion, its success.  I wonder how many entrepreneurs stop and say, “This is where I am at this moment, I am thankful for it”, and begin to move on. 

When we take the time to “watch it grow” , whether it be family, careers, business, or personal growth, there will be times when we stop to take full advantage of life’s moments.  We take notice of the sights and sounds of where we are at that moment, who is involved, what’s changed or what is changing, what lessons have been learned thus far.  More often than not, we look back when our task or dream has manifested, or we only begin to notice when there is a “bump” in the road or some type of issue.  This can be problematic in that we have to stop, fix the issue, then get back on track when if we only took some time in between to “watch it grow” and savor what we had at that moment.

But that’s why god gives us second chances by means of grandchildren, new business ventures, new loves and most of all a brighter outlook on life.  With this opportunity not only can we stop and savor the here and now, we can enjoy what is already grown, like watching my daughter “grow “as she raises her family. So I say, stop, savor, and take the time to watch it, your growth right now.

Peace and blessings,

Phaedra