Voices
and let out an exasperated sigh,
I saw myself — and it was a gutwrenching sight.
I was a bully who pushed and
pressured and hurried a small child
who simply wanted to enjoy life.
My eyes were opened; I saw
with clarity the damage my hurried existence was doing to both
of my children.
Although my voice trembled, I
looked into my small child’s eyes
and said, “I am so sorry I have
been making you hurry. I love that
you take your time, and I want to
be more like you.”
Both my daughters looked
equally surprised by my painful
admission, but my younger daughter’s face held the unmistakable
glow of validation and acceptance.
“I promise to be more patient
from now on,” I said as I hugged
my curly-haired child who was
now beaming at her mother’s
newfound promise.
It was pretty easy to banish
“hurry up” from my vocabulary.
What was not so easy was acquiring the patience to wait on my
leisurely child. To help us both, I
began giving her a little more time
to prepare if we had to go somewhere. And sometimes, even then,
we were still late. Those were
RACHEL MACY
STAFFORD
HUFFINGTON
08.25.13
the times I assured myself that I
will be late only for a few years, if
that, while she is young.
When my daughter and I took
walks or went to the store, I allowed her to set the pace. And
when she stopped to admire
something, I would push thoughts
of my agenda out of my head and
simply observe her. I witnessed
expressions on her face that I’d
never seen before. I studied dimples on her hands and the way her
She was a Noticer, and
I quickly learned that The
Noticers of the world are rare
and beautiful gifts.”
eyes crinkled up when she smiled.
I saw the way other people responded to her stopping to take
time to talk to them. I saw the
way she spotted the interesting
bugs and pretty flowers. She was a
Noticer, and I quickly learned that
The Noticers of the world are rare
and beautiful gifts. That’s when
I finally realized she was a gift to
my frenzied soul.
My promise to slow down was
made almost three years ago, at the
same time I began my journey to