The simple things are also the most extraordinary things.
You’re busy. It’s just a trip to the store. Your kids have been a pain all day. You’re trying to get ready to give them a special surprise. And because of what you’re trying to do, get through, or plan, you’re not thinking about right now. You’re thinking about later. Is that so bad? In theory, of course not. The problem is that, in reality, this moment may be the moment.
Think of your own childhood. Think of what stands out. Is it the big moments? The big conversations? Or is it ordinary experiences, ordinary interactions—ones your own parents don’t even recall—that have somehow wormed into your memory? Like when your dad skipped work and took you to a random midweek baseball game. When Mom made breakfast for dinner—your favorite—for no reason in particular. Or conversely, when they spoke to you sharply, when you saw them do something bad, when you were made to feel a certain way you’d never felt before.
Every moment is a chance to parent. Indeed, you are shaping them in every moment, whether you intend to or not. Every moment could be the moment. So you can’t rush through them, you can’t assume they don’t matter, you can’t lower your standards for yourself. Because this could be the last, best moment you get.
—Paulo Coelho