Today, Sophie danced to a song for the first time! She’s gotten excited when music plays before but today she bounced throughout I’m Yours by Jason Mraz and, obviously, I thought it was the cutest thing in the universe. It was kind of a funny song for her to like but now I guess I’ll have to listen to more JM! Although the lyrics are between lovers, I thought the sentiment ‘I’m Yours’ was sweet between Mommy and Daughter. I will ALWAYS be there for her and I’m proud to be hers. I kind of want to go wake her up from her nap so I can go snuggle her but I’ll be patient and play with her when she wakes.
Be Kind
Be kind to everyone (including yourself.) Kindness is the quality I most appreciate in people. A person can be hilarious, smart, loyal and humble but nothing compares to the trait of being kind. Everyone appreciates kindness, especially when we don’t deserve it. Everyone has a struggle in their life and the best way respond is kindness. A smile, hug, listening ear or helping hand are all ways that we can be kind without a second thought.School is starting soon. Share this as a reminder with your kids. It will be an amazing world when everyone is kind.
Don’t waste time.
Life is fleeting. Don’t waste time. Do what you love. This can be hard to remember when there’s piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, and groceries that need bought. Yes, sometimes we have to do things that we don’t LOVE doing but we need to make sure to fit in doing things that we do love everyday. At least one thing that we love everyday. Watering the flowers, bath time with our kids, reading a book or walking our dog are all fun things that I love AND help me feel accomplished. Reading a book, not as much, but it helps relieve stress and improve my writing skills. Do what you love…everyday.
Life is Messy
Every day that goes by I’m learning to be a little bit more messy. Yes, I still need organization and some amount of cleanliness in my life but things are more fun when it’s messy! I never want Sophie to be denied fun because it’ll cause a mess or because she’ll get dirty. Kids are supposed to get dirty and most everything is washable or can be re-bought. I’ve known several people who’ve not let their kids do crafts or baking because it makes too much of a mess and it makes me sad. I want to be the type of mom that throws down a drop cloth and says ‘we’ll deal with it after the fun!’ Life is messy, so let it be messy.
Create
I saw this glyph for ‘create’ and had an epiphany that I feel should not have taken 29 years to realize. One of the things that is constant in my life is that as long as I create, I am happy. There are a billion ways I can be creative. Painting a massive canvas, baking a 12 layer chocolate cake, making a clover headband, weaving a rug, learning Blackbird on the guitar…literally a billion. Even if my creation fails, I still get joy from the process and usually learn something along the way. So create, and be happy.