The Dishes Can Wait

There’s so much to do today, so much that must be done. My nagging mind tells me to get up out of my warm, comfy bed, start my day, chug my coffee quickly, and cross things off my ever-growing to-do list. But then I see her, long eyelashes, pursed lips, the rise and fall of her tiny chest. 

She must have crawled into my bed even as I slept, and now she dreams contentedly with no concern for alarms or daily chores to accomplish. I watch her sleep, I breathe in her beauty, and I decide that perhaps getting up can wait. 

The kitchen tile is covered with remnants of dropped breakfast. I can feel crumbs cling to my bare feet as I walk back and forth collecting left over dishes, and my eyes seek out the broom eagerly to tackle my dirty floor. 

“Momma, can you read to me?”

  
And as we settle down on the couch together with a favorite book, I think, perhaps the dirty floor will hold. 

Lunch comes and goes. The kitchen counters grow more crowded. Dirty dishes pile higher and higher. But we have sunshine to soak up before the last leaves fall, pine cones to collect, and autumn walks to enjoy. 

Perhaps the dishes can wait. 

A thick film of dust lays on the mantle, the living room rug needs the attention of the vacuum, and don’t get me started on the ring around the tub. Yet imaginations are developing, the crayons beg to be used, and there’s still a small spot left on the refrigerator for a future Picasso’s budding artwork display. Perhaps the housework can be delayed a bit longer. 

Little legs are growing longer, and the babies are getting bigger. In fact they won’t stop no matter how much I will them to stay small. 

Time keeps on ticking, the sand in the hourglass falls faster, and seasons speed by before my very eyes. 

Chubby faces become defined cheekbones, flabby knees gain definition, and bitty babies become blossoming ladies. Too quickly it seems. Perhaps time with little ones waits for no one. 

So I stay in bed and cuddle a little bit longer. I hold off on sweeping for another day. I decide the dishes can wait after all, and the housework will still be there later on. 

Babies are only babies for a little while. Toddlers only wish to cuddle for a time. Little ones refuse to stay little, and missing out on childhood is a travesty indeed. 

I would not regret the forgotten housework or layers of dust left behind, but I knew childhood wouldn’t remain on the shelf, and I would sorely miss the opportunities available to take hold of fleeting memories with my little ones. 

So I say the dishes can wait, and I don’t have to clean the floor. The housework will hold-off while I spend my time enjoying life that much more.