From one season to the next
There’s something magical about the fall. Cool, crisp temps reinvigorate me. The colors are spectacular and I’m having all the pumpkin spice feels as my kids run around in crunchy leaves. There’s that smell of change in the air and it’s exciting.
But it also makes me a little anxious like ‘How is it already almost the end of the year?!’
Halloween came and went and I don’t know about your inbox but mine is already busting with Holiday shopping, fashion, and deals before Black Friday deals. Just saying it gets me antsy like I’m ALREADY behind!
This time of year is supposed to be joyful but in all honesty- it sometimes feels more like a sprint and I can’t catch my breath. But I don’t want to simply survive another season, I want to actually live it and LOVE it.
It’s like motherhood in a nutshell. There are so many different seasons- some hard, others a breeze. Some are ALL about the kids in constant motion- hi, there now- and you wish there were more hours in the day. Others feel slow- TOO slow- and you wish they’d hurry up. We spend a lot of mental energy looking ahead to the next milestone or back at an easier season wishing it didn’t go by so fast. What we don’t realize is that we can end up missing the gifts in the season we’re in.
I feel that tug-o-war.
I have little kids and know how easily I can get frustrated by their neediness, messes, etc. Somedays I wish they were more independent. And as quickly as I think the thought, a lump grows in my throat because I’m also trying to slow down the clock and keep them ‘mine’ a little longer.
Like when you see a new mom struggling with her cranky baby and you’re now a mom of 3; you can empathize and encourage her with a different perspective. You’ve been there; you know it’ll be OK.
I wonder if we applied that to ourselves knowing that whatever we’re going through is just a season and one day you’ll look back at it with a different, lighter perspective.
Whatever season you’re in I want to encourage you today.
You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
Being a stay at home mom can feel like ‘not enough’ at times. It can feel discouraging but I promise you, there are so many gifts in the everyday that we miss if we’re busy looking back, looking around at other moms, or wishing we were further along.
When I catch myself in this loop, I stop and do this exercise:
Take a few minutes at the end of the day for the next 30 days and write down 5-10 things you’re grateful for from that specific day. Have your kids join in too if you want and write them down.
This log will serve as your reminder that there were wins everyday even if things didn’t go exactly as planned. It’ll help settle the anxiety of feeling behind and keep you more present-focused.
Even if you’re in a hard season, you’ll see how it’s growing you in ways you never expected.
After all a season is just that- a season. And the next is always on its way.
