Temporary forevers
“Life is just a series of moments. If you miss the moments, you miss your life.”
If you follow any of my social media channels, then you’ll probably already know that my daughter Scarlet has recently finished school and is off to university in September. It's something of a quantum shift for us both: not only is Scarlet embarking on an exciting new chapter in her life, but I also need to get used to the idea of not having her around so much. There’s going to be a lot of change to adjust to.
At her end-of-school ceremony, the school captain gave a really inspirational, heartfelt speech - which reduced me to floods of tears - in which she talked about the idea of how life is just a series of “temporary forevers”: moments that we think will last forever, but clearly don't. Yet in that moment, it is forever, it's all we have.
Personally, I used to be guilty of planning my life years - even decades - in advance, which obviously isn't realistic because things seldom go to plan! But thinking about the idea of “temporary forevers” reminded me how important it is to be fully present and to show up in each individual moment, no matter how temporary, difficult or challenging they may be.
Sometime soon, I’m going to need to take some time and space to process all the change that's happening in my life, and I know that thinking about the idea of “temporary forevers” will help me to do that. Because taking time out to appreciate everything that’s happening in my life right now - the good and the bad - always reminds me to feel grateful for what I have.
But for now, I’m no longer the mother of a schoolchild! Instead, I now have the privilege of travelling through life alongside an independent young woman, who has already done an amazing job of finding her own way of thriving in the world. I’m so grateful for our relationship, and for everything that Scarlet brings to the world; it continues to be an honour and a privilege to be her mother, and to have her in my life. Of course I’m going to miss her, but I know that this is the beginning of something new and incredible, hopefully for us both.
