Born in the Midwest, I have had a very challenging life from childhood. As an adult, I have had various jobs: I have worked as a nurses aid, as a waitress, owned a Surf Shop and a Tanning Salon, but throughout those experiences I did not find that inner calling. It was when my first child was born, it was in that moment that I knew what I was here for: I am a Mother above all things. I cannot describe the feelings that go through you when your child is born, overwhelming happiness and a feeling of being satisfied, complete. Since my first child was born in 1998, I have stopped working outside of the home. Since then, I have found a passion in writing and have had two more children (even though the doctors said it would not happen). Now life is somewhat chaotic at times.
If you are like me, you’re constantly getting pulled in every direction from meeting deadlines to baking cookies for your child’s soccer game, not to mention doing your wifely duties of cooking, cleaning, and “trying” to keep everything in order (Not). By the end of the day, you probably collapse into bed only to relive the same day tomorrow. While you’re taking care of everything and everyone, you have probably put yourself on the back burner. Is there anything you can do to bring calmness to your crazy life? The list below is what I have learned to do to keep my sanity and, as for Motherhood, fortunately, I would not trade it for anything.
- I do realize that life is short, so I strive to live in the moment.
- I have learned to express my spirit in everything I do from my relationships to my work.
- I do have to remind myself that even when the world hands me a lemon that I can take that lemon and turn it into lemonade.
- And that we must nurture ourselves, each other and the world around us.
Do you feel like your overworked and underpaid, under appreciated, unsatisfied, or feel like your life is slipping away? Sometimes, I do. Do you feel so stressed out that you feel like you’re going to pull your hair out and scream to the top of your lungs? At times, I feel that way. What I do is try to find the joy in my life whether it’s in my spouse, my kids, a fun hobby, with my work, or fixing up my home, reading, or spending time with my friends. One reason I think we fail to find the joy in our busy lives is because it seems we have not mastered the skill of truly being us. I feel once we have mastered the skill of truly being us, all of your worries and stresses will eventually fade away to reveal who we truly are- strong women who can take on the world and (figuratively speaking) do the laundry at the same time.
And so, I know it’s important to take time for myself. Take time for you. Remember you? For me, I was the crazy girl who loved to take bubble baths and jam out to Journey on my cassette player. I am the girl who used to eat chocolate chip cookie dough, I am that girl that loved to pick dandelions and makes wishes? I can still be that girl, and you should be that girl. Take five minutes (at least) every day for you- even if you have to lock yourself in a closet or bathroom to listen to your music or eat cookie dough- do it every day.
Learn how much you can take and have balance in your life. Your family and others may think you can work and do like a superhero, but you are, after all, human. Know your limits, and know how to keep everything perfectly balanced. If you feel yourself getting weighed down, either let go or rearrange some things in your life to give you the balance you need. Focus on your physical and sophisticated strength. Physical strength means bringing out the best in everyone, while sophisticated strength has to do with how you act and feel. Both of our strengths comes from what drives us, what encourages us, and what gives us pride and joy. For me, being a mother gives me pride and joy and gives me the physical and sophisticated strength I require on a daily basis.
~Lynn Luther
Lynn Luther is a woman, wife, mother of three and freelance writer for i-We.
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