In a parent self-esteem workshop I got a handout that I keep inside my cookbook journal. On days when it feels like my head is going to explode because there is a weak of laundry to do, there are two or three days of dishes to wash, I have deadlines that I'm over committed to, I have to listen to children fight/argue/whine about who had the green crayon first, and I am so tired and aggravated I read these lines over and over:
'Define what is important for you and your children and use those convictions to guide your actions'.
I need these words. I understand them. They pat me on the back and say 'it's ok, it's all really more than ok'. These words remind me that I am not the only parent who stands firm around certain family rules, even if it means a child spews venom and frustration in the face of the rules; these words remind me that all the hard work in these early years may mean that my children too will learn conviction; these words inspire me to ignore shifting social values and stick to what my husband and I think is important for our family's well being; these words help me make choices about how I spend my very limited personal time, how I chose activities for my children, how I chose what foods to eat and prepare.
You, what phrase, what poem, what self talk do you use to recharge your batteries so that you notice the sun's shining bright in the sky?
Thursday, June 5
conviction - the olive oil of living
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1 comment:
I like to read mary oliver and chug coffee and just remind myself over and over that this is so fleeting...I can see it in the faces of women with older children when we are out in the world. I am fine with the fact that I am not envied for my beauty, but for my place in time right now. Children grow quickly...How badly will we want this time back in ten years? i could weep. xoxoxox amy
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