Time in a Bottle

One of the most frustrating things about having a toddler and dogs in one's household is the lack of the shared concept of the past, or the future. "The now" is the only state in which one lives, if one is an enthusiastic toddler or an active adult Labrador retriever. It is difficult, however, from my perspective to only live "in the now" (this is not to be confused with "being present", which is something that, as a parent, is most challenging but most important.)

Back to the now. All day today, and yesterday (which, remember, doesn't exist to my audience of three), I was exciting both canines and mini-human alike by saying, "are you excited to go for a car ride? Do you want to go to grandma and grandpa's house? Are you excited about CHRISTMAS?" The looks of expectation were overwhelming, the whines (oh, the whines), the feverish excitment, and I wanted nothing else in the world but to take them right then, at that moment, to the car to grandma's to Christmas, to the NOW.

The dogs are always ready. You just have to be ready. You just never know, and you must be ready for anything, at any moment, to GO. So, they are always ready. My toddler is ready to grab his coat and put it on and head out the door at any moment as well, sans shoes, sippy cup, or Mom. That is living in the now.

It's forced me to re-define the future, over and over again, which is an interesting conundrum. Back to the future, starting NOW..