I Can’t Wait ’til I Am Seven | VictorSchueller.com

“I can’t wait ’til I am seven!” ~Ava Schueller

Yesterday it was raining.  I had a whole day ahead of me, wide open, to spend with my four-year-old daughter, Ava.  When it’s relatively cool outside and rainy, some of the usual outdoor activities we do, like playing at the park, for example, were suddenly removed from the list of options we had.

Nearby there is a large resort which offers an indoor waterpark, and people from the community are welcome to buy day passes to use the waterpark, so I decided on the fly to take Ava there to spend a couple of hours.  We had a wonderful time.  We played in the pool, splashed around the “kiddie” pool, lounged in the wading pool, drifted along the lazy river, and just enjoyed the opportunity to be with each other.

At the end of our stay, we took a very quick dip in the hot tub, which is my favorite thing to do.  I could spend my time there if you let me, but with young ones, I am not quite able to do that yet.  Wisconsin statutes state that you can’t take any child less than six years old into a hot tub, so it’s a difficult situation when you have a young one who likes to be in the hot water, but really can’t go in there.  My solution is that I sit in the water, bend my knees up, and allow Ava to sit on my lap so that she is only in the water from the knees down.  We only sit in there for five minutes, but it’s enjoyable for as long as we’re in there.

On the way home, Ava and I were talking about the hot tub.  She asked why we couldn’t stay in there longer, and I told her that children who are younger than six years old are not supposed to be in a hot tub.  I told her than when she’s six years old, she can spend as much time in the hot tub as she wants.

She asked, “Can I go in one thousand times?”

I said, “Yes, you can go in one thousand times if you want.”

Ava said, “I can’t wait ’til I am seven…”

I just laughed, and I told her, “Oh no; you are four now, and you want to enjoy being four, then five, then six; then you can enjoy what it’s like to be seven.”

But, it’s fun when your children, young as they are, teach you something so insightful, and that’s what happened yesterday.  Her statement was a wonderful example of what we all seem to do so readily and so regularly.

How often do we spend so much time focusing on what we “can’t wait” to experience, and how much time do we spend laboring away because we “can’t wait” to reach that goal or next level?  How often do we think about how we simply “can’t wait” for us to be something we aren’t right now?

Ava reminded me that while we do have things in life we are looking forward to experiencing, we really need to appreciate and enjoy right where we are — right now — and focus less on where we “aren’t.”  It’s okay to have dreams and goals, but at the same time it’s important to enjoy the journey and the joys of each step of the way.

I never imagined when we started our day that Ava would teach me such a valuable an insightful lesson, much less with one simple statement, but I am glad she did.  While I may be tempted to share her “I can’t wait” sentiment, I realize that it’s okay to take some time to “wait” and enjoy right where we are right now.