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I remember my daughter\u2019s first steps like they were yesterday.<\/span><\/p>\n After 18 months of appointments, hospital stays, and therapy sessions, those little feet finally took off. Watching her swagger and sway down the hall, I was filled with overwhelming joy and excitement. It was a moment I knew I wanted to hold onto forever.<\/span><\/p>\n People often say, \u201cSavor this moment; it won\u2019t happen again.\u201d At the time, I was pretty sure I understood what this meant.<\/span><\/p>\n My daughter is a teenager now. Recently, she insisted that we needed a bird feeder to feed all the birds in the neighborhood. After some back-and-forth negotiating, I gave in. We now have bird feeders in both the front yard and the backyard.<\/span><\/p>\n I was convinced this would become just another chore on my already long to-do list. But instead, it has become something else entirely.<\/span><\/p>\n There is something almost soothing about watching the birds come and go. A dove lands on the grass. A mockingbird hops along the edge. Each bird has its own little personality.<\/span><\/p>\n And for a few quiet moments, I find myself standing still. Watching. Breathing. Noticing.<\/span><\/p>\n In those instants, the pain and uncertainty that usually fill my days start to loosen their grip.<\/span><\/p>\n These moments don\u2019t last long. The birds fly away. Reality draws me back inward.<\/span><\/p>\n And while the pain may not go away, this brief reprieve gives me something to hold onto.<\/span><\/p>\n In a life that is now shaped by chronic pain, both my daughter\u2019s and mine, these are the small experiences I\u2019m learning to savor.<\/span><\/p>\n They won\u2019t all be as big as my daughter\u2019s first steps. After all, there is only one \u201cfirst.\u201d But I am starting to notice the smaller moments now. The ones that pass quickly\u2014unless I choose to stop and see them.<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe this is what it means to savor a moment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014by Kari McBride<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n