Your gonna miss this...

Here are the lyrics to a song I really like:
Your Gonna Miss this: by Trace Adkins.

She was staring out the window of that SUV Complaning, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"

She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school.

Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this You're gonna want this back You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times, So take a good look around You may not know it now But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by He tells her "It's a nice place"

She says "It'll do for now"Starts talking about babies and buying a house

Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this You're gonna want this back You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast These are some good times So take a good look around You may not know it now But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater Dog's barkin', phone's ringin' One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'

She keeps apologizin' He says "They don't bother me. I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23. Huh, it's hard to believe, but ..
.
You're gonna miss this You're gonna want this backYou're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast These are some good times So take a good look around You may not know it now But you're gonna miss this"

Whenever I hear it on the radio it remind me to enjoy life while it is happening and not just hope this season ends, not to just sit and wait for what is next. For me, I'm much like the girl in the one bedroom apartment...only I'm not a new bride. I can't wait to have a house, and a couple of babies. But, when that time comes, will I be too busy to really enjoy it?

The words of this song came drifting back to me today as I was riding a bike around my parents neighborhood. A couple houses down and I saw two little girls sitting close to one another on a porch. One was Kaitlynn, a sweet but VERY energetic brunette cutie pie. I use to babysitt for her and her 3 brothers. The other was a cute little red head with a sort of farrah faucet hair do. I could tell from where I was she was missing a bunch of front-top teeth. They were narrating for Kailtynns twin brother Josh who was doing skate boarding tricks in the drive way. I instantly flashed back to when I was about 7. My neighbor (who also happened to be a little red head, 6 years old, and missing her front teeth at the time) and I use to sit on my front porch and narrate for circus's and other shows my litte brother and sister use to put on together in the front yard. All I could think of was "Man, I miss that!" Things were much more simple. I had almost no care in the world! All I had to do was drink my milk, go to school and make my bed. The rest of my days were mine to run around and play with friends. Tiffs with my siblings lasted moments and not days, and pain was usually physical and fleeting, due to a fall off the bike. At that age I hadn't experienced the deep emotional pain that comes from death or harsh words, the kind that still stings years later when you think of the people you have lost. Days weren't consumed with worries about choices my friends, family, or I myself were making.
I need to realize that this season is exactly that, a season. When I think about it, I know that right now all I have to worry about is myself. I need to worry about getting myself through school, paying my bills, and getting myself out of bed in the morning. Someday, I will have to worry about cooking dinner for my husband, making lunch for the kids, getting them dressed and bathed. I will worry about if their is enough $$ after bills to buy them clothes, toys, and enroll them in extra curricular activities. Not to mention scheduling and attending Dr.s appointments, trips to the dentist, and whatever else the kids might need. I pray that when this time comes form me, I don't see it as just those things. I pray I enjoy every minute and live for the hugs and kisses, the learning of new things, the bedtime stories and family bike rides.
For now though, I need to learn to enjoy the life of a single young woman, who can do what she wants when she wants. I need to remember to enjoy that I can go to coffee with a friend any night of the week, and if I am not tired, I can go to a midnight showing of the latest flick by myself without a second thought. I am sure some day I will be a mom of 5 0r 6, in my late 30's or early 40's, on my way to one kid activity or another, and I will see a young woman out the window with her fit figure, going for her morning running with head phones over her ears and I will think "I miss that."