Wiggle Your Toes

I was reminded today in a phone conversation with my son of a simple thing that can mean so much......wiggling your toes.

My son is serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. This past week several of his comrades were injured when their truck hit an IED.

In a phone conversation today he told me and my husband that he visited the survivors in the hospital. He commented, "They'll be okay, they can wiggle their toes".

What struck me in that moment was how such a simple, small event can mean so much. It gives hope not only to the person recovering from injury, but also to those that care about him. Before the physical trauma, perhaps the act of wiggling toes was taken for granted.

When considering how the simple sign of moving your toes can signify so much for the physical future of these guys, I cannot help but think of the same signs that can symbolize a happy life for all of us.

It seems that we are so often unnecessarily hard on ourselves. We look for significant steps of improvement from where we were to where we are now. We expect a lot and can be desperately disappointed when we don't meet our goals. Sometimes we can be so focused on what we see for ourselves in the future, we miss what is now. Our appreciation for the little things or the small steps that carry us on our path, can go by unnoticed and unappreciated.

I believe that if we are truly present to, and in full appreciation for, being able to wiggle our toes in life, the rest of our plan will not get in the way of living life fully and with joy.