During a jog the other week with my daughter Ariana, life threw me an opportunity to stop and just be present in that very moment.

That morning, I had it set in my mind that I was going to take Ariana out on a long jog in her stroller.

Well… toddler + your scheduled plans ≠ what actually happens.

A quarter of the way into my jog, my daughter decided to chuck her beloved stuffed animal out of the stroller and then started to squirm, squeal, and attempt to escape on the cement pavement next to a busy street.

Ugh.

I paused my watch and podcast, braked the stroller, retrieved her “Mr. Elephant” (that I also ran over) and then took a few deep breaths to ground myself.

So much for my long run idea…

Ariana wanted out, and whenever she’s been “free’d” of the stroller…yeah…. It’s a disaster. No amount of “E-I-E-I-O” can force her limp noodle body back into the jogging stroller straps.

She won, so I gave in.

As I looked around, I realized we had stopped right next to a soccer field- and luckily (…mom win!) I had a kiddy soccer ball stashed in my stroller.

VOILA! Problem solved.

I parked the stroller, let her free, and spent 20 minutes running in the grass and playing soccer (mostly by myself) on the field. Truthfully, she was more interested in eating grass and getting tangled in the net… but I digress!

No phone.
No Podcast.
No distractions.

It ended up being a beautiful 20 minutes.

All of the small, precious moments we shared on that soccer field, would have been lost had I forcefully kept us going on my jog, ignoring her cries.

So how about you?

How can you slow down, remove distractions, and just be present?

Life is always so hectic. Our minds are always so busy.

Consider this permission to take a breather and reflect on your life.

What are your health goals?
Where are you struggling?
How are you feeling supported?

Comment below with your responses.