Last month Sarah and I got free tickets to the LA Zoo so we took our daughter Angela (who’s two) on my day off.
At every animal we would see Angela would say, “See elephant now, Daddy?” Didn’t matter if we were watching the monkeys, the giraffes, or the rhinos. At every stop all she would say is, “See elephant now, Daddy?”
After what felt like the 57th exchange like this we made our way over to the elephants. As we were walking Sarah dropped some knowledge on me:
“It’s hard to enjoy where you’re at when you’re so preoccupied with where you want to go.”
My wife didn’t know if at the time but she had said something really profound (which she normally does).
It’s easy to get preoccupied with what you want.
A relationship you hope will happen.
A relationship you hope to get out of.
A new job.
A new addition to the family.
A new computer.
A new pair of jeans.
It doesn’t take much for us to check out of what’s happening around us. If you’ve ever pulled out your phone to see who called or what message came in while you were out to eat with someone you know what I’m talking about.
But a lot of times the best present we can give ourselves is to enjoy who and what is present.
It may not be your dream job. It may not be the latest computer. It may not be the flashiest pair of jeans. That’s OK. Enjoy who and what’s in your life right now.
Sometimes the best present is what’s present.
Jeff McClung 