I was reminded about slowing down and enjoying life as my sister N and I celebrated my mom’s 91st birthday last week in Flo-ree-da. It felt like it was just yesterday that she had blown out the candles on her 90th birthday cake. Time sure seems to race by quickly as I get older.
“Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things,” says the quote on a small sachet pillow on my kitchen counter. I love this quote and last week my mom, who is a master at her ripe age, helped guide me in this practice.
“Why do they only serve 3 little rugalah for dessert?” asked my mom the night we dined at the local deli. “Because that is a serving,” I replied. “But I think they should serve 4,” said my mom. “That’s too many rugalah,” I said as mom dabbed her finger on the plate to grab every last crumb. That’s my mom, she definitely knows how to enjoy the little things.
“I can’t finish my scallops,” said my mom the next night as we dined at Bonefish Grill. “Why do they serve so much fish, who can eat so much fish?” “Just eat what you can,” I said as she moved the plate in my direction to taste. “Any room for dessert?” asked the nice waitress. “Of course,” said mom, “I’ll have the Key Lime pie.” It was her birthday dinner, so she had to have dessert. “I’ll bring some extra forks,” said the waitress. We shared the pie and every last bit of crust was gone from the plate by the time the bill arrived. That’s my mom, she definitely knows how to enjoy the little things.
On Saturday night we went to Panera Bread for dinner. My sister N and mom ordered a salad and soup combination and I ordered a big salad. Our stomachs were full. “Aren’t we going to have dessert?” said mom. “Let’s share a brownie,” I said. There was one lonely brownie left in the bakery just waiting for us to claim it. We cut the brownie into three equal pieces and gobbled it up. That’s my mom, she definitely knows how to enjoy the little things.
We took an afternoon Shabbat break at mom’s assisted living residence on Friday complete with Maneschewitz wine and challah for all. We visited Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale where we sat on a bench and enjoyed cups of ice cream. Mom had two small scoops of strawberry and my sister N and I had two BIG ones – mint chip for N and mocha chip for moi. Then it was back to mom’s place for a mini fashion show as she tried on all the clothes I bought her for her birthday. She loved the red, black and gray striped top. “It’s so pretty,” said mom. I was pleased to see her wearing her new top when we picked her up the next day. That’s my mom, what a fashionista (she taught her two daughters well) she definitely knows how to enjoy the little things.
Happy birthday mom! Happy birthday to you. I love you. I love you. I do. I do. I do. Can’t wait until next year when you turn 92. Ooh, ooh, ooh. What little things will we do?
Judi
P.S. – To all my wonderful email subscribers, unfortunately my email program continues to have a glitch. I hope to fix it soon or will have to find another solution. Meantime, I will personally send you an email link to my post or if you want to subscribe, hit the RSS feed button on the top corner to follow my blog in a reader format.
