A friend asked me last weekend how my week had been, and I answered “full”. My initial inclination was to say “busy”—because that’s what you say, right?—but I paused a moment before I answered and instead responded “full”. I guess it means the same thing, but in my mind it had a different meaning, something a bit more positive. See, I decided at the beginning of the year that this year I would start saying “YES” to many of things I’ve hesitated to do in the past. And when you take advantage of these opportunities, it somehow becomes less about being busy and more about living life to its fullest. Last week was full.
I won’t recount all the details—the week was full of great happenings at Baby Be Hip, along with family social outings and sports—but I do want to highlight one outing in particular…our family trip to the circus! A trip to the circus probably isn’t a big deal to most people, but it was for us. Over the seven years since Ellie entered our lives, basic family outings have become rather challenging. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done lots of fun things over the years…but not always as a family of six.
Now that Delaney is two—and now that I’m determined to say YES—we are getting out together a bit more. This week we had the opportunity—thanks to Philly Parent Circle — to go to the circus. We arrived at the arena with Ellie in her wheelchair, optimistic that we could all sit together in the handicapped seating section. Little did I know it was a big night out at the circus for the special needs community and, as a result, only two of us could sit in the handicapped area. That wasn’t going to work for us on our family outing, so we hiked to the tippy top of the arena where there were plenty of seats. It was quite a scene, me in my puffy coat carrying seven-year-old Ellie in her puffy coat up the narrow, steep steps of the upper levels of the Wells Fargo Center. I said a few prayers on the way up the steps that we would make it safely, and as we sat I joked that the Mook circus had arrived.
Typically I would have passed on a trip into center city with the whole family for a late night during the school week. And I’ll admit to second-guessing my decision as we sat in traffic and again as we hiked up those steep steps in our puffy coats.
But it only took a few moments for the magic of the show to take over, and the smiles and laughter made it all worthwhile (that, and the added benefit of muscle tone in my arms from carrying Ellie). My husband Brad noticed the children all staring at the performers and animals below with a look of wonder on their faces; their horizons grew that night, and they wouldn’t have gotten that at home. We made some awesome memories, and wouldn’t have if we hadn’t said YES.
The circus night ended late that night, and true to form the next day started early with more fun and games as the older kids went snow tubing with their classmates as Delaney and I played in the snow (and she stripped in the lodge…good times). We even spotted the awesome Jennaphr Frederick from Good Day Philadelphia and got the kids on TV.
I’m loving this new “say YES” approach to my life, and I know it’s going to create great experiences and memories for my family. We all talk about living our lives to the fullest, and at times I think we probably do just that. And maybe some of you manage to do it all the time. But I find we get caught up in the “busy”-ness of our day-to-day lives and sometimes forget to take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities life has to offer.
So here’s to having “full” days that will keep you smiling and build memories that will last forever. Don’t forget to say YES and live life to its absolute fullest!
