We know we can’t possibly cherish every moment.
We know it’s not realistic to neglect our life responsibilities to soak up their every word and every expression.
We know that telling ourselves to savor every stage of their childhood is just setting ourselves up for failure.
So what do we do? How do we realistically live life now to avoid the pain of regret later?
And that’s when I looked into the rearview mirror and saw my daughter’s chocolate brown eyes staring back at me. She was still singing at the top of her lungs, but the song was half over. I felt a sudden urgency. “Stop thinking about ‘what if’ and sing! Sing before the song ends!” my inner voice pleaded.
So I opened my mouth and joined in.
“When I’m gone
When I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me by my hair
Gonna miss me everywhere
Oh, you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
Surprisingly, my daughter didn’t give me an exasperated look.
She didn’t roll her eyes and beg me to stop.
She didn’t chuckle and say, “That sounds terrible, Mom!”
My daughter smiled and kept right on singing.