“Pause!” yells Phoebe as she hops up from our game to run to the bathroom.

Over the past few weeks, whether we are dancing to a sing-a-long or playing Lego Friends, Phoebe wants everything to stop when she leaves. And she is upset if anything continued without her. She does not want to miss a moment! But life isn’t TIVO. We can’t skip over the boring parts to the exciting. And when things occur simultaneously, one moment can not be paused for later.

So every choice you make places you in a certain position. From that place you experience the present. If you turn right you experience what is down that road. But you miss whatever else is happening down the road to the left.

Of course this is obvious. But tonight. When you get home. Consider the routes you could take for the evening. You could choose to hit the power button on the TV and sink into the couch. Or you could grab a book. Or you could start dinner. Or you could call a friend. Or… the options are limitless. You could even break out the VBS CD from last summer and ask the girls to dance.

No matter what you choose you will only experience one path. You will miss out on all the others.

Which moment would you rather not miss?