Appreciating the Little Things

Last month, my husband and I took the kids on a last-minute trip to Rochester to visit the Strong National Museum of Play. The trip was packed with new experiences for the kids that as adults we often take for granted. I was reminded how important it is to take a step back and appreciate the little things in life.

The View From a Child: A Trip to Rochester

After a long winter, my husband and I were ready for a change of scenery. I had wanted to bring the kids to the National Museum of Play since I learned of it. A bitter cold winter weekend seemed like the perfect time for a last-minute trip to a new place. After some back and forth, we settled on doing an overnight stay in a hotel. In past trips with the kids, we had always done day trips or sprung for a rental house through Airbnb. It would be the first time our kids would stay in a hotel.

While the scheduled highlight of the trip was the Museum, our young kids were enamored by the hotel.

“Doors!” Our one-year-old was amazed by the numerous doors throughout the hotel hallway and thrilled to have a large open space to walk through.

“Can we call someone?” Our three-year-old was amused by the corded telephone in our hotel room. She was thrilled to unpack her clothes in the dresser for our one-night stay and was delighted to sleep on the floor. Even the process of checking in and the concept of a lobby intrigued her.

Both kids loved looking out the huge fourth-story windows, their eager bodies stayed glued to the glass, in awe of the countless vehicles zooming by. One of their favorite parts was going downstairs in PJs to a breakfast buffet. It was full of choices to eat, people to watch, booths to climb on, and mom and dad’s complete attention to enjoy it all with.

Appreciating the Little Things

To my husband and I, it was a simple hotel overnight stay to break up the trip, and yet for the kids, staying in a hotel was an adventure of its own merit. It’s the little things we take for granted that make a child’s day.

As adults, we can learn from our kids to look differently at our days and appreciate the little things. We can slow down and find joy in the small moments between the big stuff. Whether it’s taking time to enjoy a few quiet sips of coffee, listening to the peaceful sound of the rain, or appreciating that our commute was a little quicker today, we can find gratitude in these small, pleasant moments.

By appreciating the little things, we can gain a new perspective on our lives. We can look at commonplace things in a new way or we can also seek out new experiences for ourselves. Regardless of which, we can experience both more fully with our new perspective.

While we can plan big trips and events and go to exciting new places, it’s often the little moments in between where we find the most joy. Being present for these moments make our lives so much richer.

Slow down this week and give yourself the opportunity to find joy in the little things.

Thank You for Reading

Thank you for reading Appreciating the Little Things. I want to hear from you! Is it the big things or the little things that bring you the most joy? What little things have given you joy recently?

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