Mindful Miles

The universe is constantly testing our priorities, and yesterday, it gave me a truly magnificent pop quiz.

I got home from an overnight shift, famished, fatigued, and focused. My soul craved one thing: a warm bowl of oatmeal.

I took a bath that was hurried by my hungry state, threw on the first acceptable garment, and launched into a full-on calorie sprint toward the kitchen.

Then, the ambush.

My two youngest girls materialized at the top of the stairs, blocking my descent. “Have you seen it, Mum?” they whispered. “Did you see it?” asked the older one, eyes wide with mysterious intensity.

My rumbling stomach immediately stalled. What could it be? The last time it was a lovely piece of art. Before that, a sweet note about my cooking, wrapped up nicely.

The suspense was killing me (and my hunger).

I had a moment of intense internal debate: Duty to Parental Excitement vs. Duty to the Digestive System. Well, hunger won.

I chose the oats. 🤭 (Don’t judge; I had worked all night! 😋)

Twenty minutes later, with a full, satisfied belly, I calmly walked back upstairs. Guilt was already setting in for choosing carbs over connection.

I should have suspected something was up when the girls were calmly treading behind me instead of sprinting ahead.

We reached the bedroom door, and they froze, standing stiffly at the entrance.”Right there, Mum,” they pointed fearfully to the floor. “It’s a dead spider! Be careful, it’s huge!”

The contrast was magnificent. All that dramatic build-up and parental suspense, for a stiff, eight-legged surprise. I looked at their terrified faces, then back at the floor, and instantly burst out laughing right there in the doorway.

Guilt completely vanished. I truly couldn’t have made a better decision. The choice was never between art and food. It was between Dead Spider Relocation and Glorious Oatmeal.

I realised I had sacrificed immediate parental connection for grain gratification with zero regret. Mindful prioritizing, achieved. And that, my friends, is the definition of a successful Mindful Mile 😄