Every time Im out with my kids — this seems to happen:An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, “Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast.”
Has this happened to you???
What do you say when it does?
I find it kind of preachy when someone else tells me to ‘enjoy life’… it’s short.
First of all…a stranger knows nothing about me or how I look at life.
This being said…I have to admit I have made this statement to others sometimes but probably will not do so without more thought in the future…instead I may help them through one of those difficult mom moments (also dad moments) as suggested by Glennon Melton.
I have had many “Kairos” moments as a mother and grandmother although they come easier as a grandmother. I think it has to do with the wisdom that comes with age.
Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature.[1]
Age has made me realize more and more ‘Kairos’ moments…it has made me more patient and tolerant of others…their personalities, their idiosyncrasies and their flaws…it has made me tolerant of my own flaws.
‘Kairos moments’ are simply more meaningful to me than ‘chronos’ moments.
Looking for ‘Kairos’ moments in my day to day life makes being a mom and grandmother not necessarily more fun but more joyous.
And I don’t worry about ‘Carpe Diem’.