This is Sticky's play area in our lounge room. It's about 1.5m x 1.5m. My perceived lack of space stresses me enormously but today I realised something very important about space.
We use to have a coffee table where Sticky's mat now lies. We used it for drinks, the tv remotes and to store all the bits we had no home for. It was useful but occasionally I would bump into it. Now, the space is full of bouncers, rockers, plastic keys, measuring cups, egg rings and rattles. There's been plenty of times I've stood on those things too.
We fill our space up with what we think we need. The more things we think we need, the less space we have. So today I suddenly realised, would I rather have a home for the tv remote in my little space, or a play area for my baby? The answer was obvious.
Instead of feeling stressed about my lack of space, I can feel grateful for the things that fill it up. Instead of being annoyed there is so free space, I can feel happy that there is no free space. I can be thankful that I have a small area where I can sit on a comfy couch and do some work as I watch her play, or, I can easily sit on the floor when I play with her.
As she looks at me right now, sucking on a piece of ribbon attached to her activity block, and giving me a cheeky grin, I can't imagine that coffee table sitting there. It never grinned at me or smiled at me. It never raised it's arms to be picked up. It was never going to be anything else but a coffee table. But now, this tiny little space might be the first place my daughter crawls or walks. Or, it might be the place where she says something really important for the first time. It could be the spot so many amazing things happen so how could I not love it!
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