Welcome back to The Whole Operation! This is an Everyday Magic episode, the ones that start with a specific, ordinary moment from real life and follow it somewhere worth going. The extraordinary, it turns out, has a habit of hiding in plain sight. I recorded this one on Brody’s second birthday. As I was making my notes, I realized I do a lot of noticing, and I do most of it from one spot: the kitchen island. It’s almost like a perch over the life we’ve built and are still building. Lately, what I’ve been witnessing from there is our boys playing together. Brody is moving from playing side by side to really playing with his big brother, and the laughter and closeness already forming between them is something I’m so grateful for. I’m very close with my sister, and I know how important it is to have a person who understands where you came from and believes in where you’re going. Helping build a bond that will outlast us might be one of the most underrated parts of parenting. I never thought of this as taking inventory until I worked through my prompts for this season. But I’m taking stock of these tiny moments almost daily. The laugh lines around Brandon’s eyes after nearly 18 years of watching a teenage boy become a young man and a father. The moment I always take, at every gathering I host, to step back and take in the people, the laughter and the connection in the room. Colton, two months into kindergarten, writing birthday cards and sounding out the words himself, when it feels like I just met him. And a two-year-old with determination, a sense of humour, my facial expressions, and a little voice that says please and thank you, and “how do you do?”. It’s so small, and so enormous, all at the same time. I also get into the line between capturing a moment to share and capturing it for my own archive, why I’ve felt less inclined to share online over the years, and how all of this circles back to my old blog, Meant for Sharing, and the idea that the little moments of a deliberate life are worth talking about. Noticing didn’t always come naturally to me. In university, I did a lot of work with a psychologist and cognitive behavioural therapy, and practising mindfulness became a muscle I’ve kept flexing ever since. Five years ago, I didn’t know if I’d ever get two kids earthside, or if my business would make it. In the moment, it felt heavy, and at times hopeless. And then I got here. Noticing is how we compile that evidence. If you want to try it, start with a single line a day. Jot down something you noticed, appreciated or were present for, in a journal, your notes app or a voice note to yourself. Then come tell me about it on Instagram. The Commons episode is coming up. If this one was up your alley, tell me about the ordinary stuff that’s been quietly adding up, or something that, if you really took stock, deserves to count as an achievement. A two-minute voice note or a few written lines through the form below is all I need. Next week is a Control Panel episode about the inventory we avoid: the audit we put off, or the household system that needs a closer look. Thank you for being here. If you haven’t already, subscribe on Substack (or wherever you listen), and share this one with someone in the throes of the day-to-day. Links Connect with Samantha: on Instagram or visit my website Subscribe: SUBSTACK · SPOTIFY · APPLE PODCASTS Share your inventory (The Commons): Explore the prompts and share your submissions In This Episode * What an Everyday Magic episode is, recorded on Brody’s second birthday * The kitchen island as my perch over the life we’re building * Watching our boys move from playing side by side to playing together * Sibling bonds, my sister, and the bond that will outlast us * The inventory I’d been taking without meaning to * Laugh lines, the moment I take at every gathering, and other tiny things that add up * Colton writing his first birthday cards, and a two-year-old who wants to know how you do * Capturing to share vs. capturing for my own archive * Coming back around to Meant for Sharing * How CBT made noticing a habit, not a natural talent * Five years ago vs. now, and compiling the evidence * A one-line-a-day noticing practice to try * The Commons prompts, and a preview of next week’s Control Panel episode These show notes were drafted with AI assistance from the episode recording, then reviewed and edited by Samantha. Get full access to The Whole Operation at thewholeoperation.substack.com/subscribe