I love this quote from the extraordinary Helen Keller. She died almost fifty years ago, but somehow her take on finding a good balance between getting through each day and following her passions seems perfectly relevant in 2017.

In my town, we have fireworks in December, instead of July 4th. They launch from the pier that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. As I watched the pyrotechnics show Sunday night, with my mom (visiting from Australia), and my boys, I had to remind myself, more than once, to be in the moment without thinking about a million other things.

Feeling gratitude for pleasures and every day conveniences, as well as the monotonous routine of daily life can be a tricky exercise, especially when it feels like your bigger goals are moving farther out of reach.

Mindfulness as I load the dishwasher, pay bills, take out the trash, and go to work can be a real passion killer. It’s hard to keep the big picture in mind and the energy you need to follow your dreams when you’re sorting through your children’s sweaty sport socks or picking up after your dog.

Helen Keller’s quote really helps me stay in the moment. There is always that panic that I’m running out of time, but then I remember that my kids will only be young for a small percentage of my life.

Today I had one of my boys home sick. It was a day of doctor and pharmacy visits but I also got to spoil him with fresh sheets, and chicken soup. We spent time sitting and talking about a whole lot of subjects we’ve both been too busy to catch up on. It was a lovely day — for me anyway.

I think we owe it to ourselves to keep both things in our minds —  to remind ourselves how precious the small things are while keeping the big picture in sharp focus.