Camp Chair

 "There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." Rumi

One of Peanut's favorite things about our week away was playing in the mud.

We didn't know ahead of time, but the powers at hand drained the lake at our state park. So where there once was water, there was now lots of beach area. And lots of mud.

On our last day, I looked down at the water to see this.

Peanut living her best life.

She was at times waist deep in mud. Shoes long gone. Outfit to be permanently brown.

And always ear to ear smiling.

I keep coming back to this picture (thanks to my fabulous SIL for capturing it).

I keep a list in my journal of little "mom wins." A list of things I think went right, or well, or even often struggles we repaired and learned from. This list reminds me that the one I keep in my head - of all the times I screwed up, when I didn't apologize but wanted to, when I said something before I thought - for all those things, there is this other list too.

The "mom wins" list.

This moment went on my "mom win" list this week.

I've sent Peanut the message that life is messy - and it's okay to be messy.

I'm not going to freak out, or be mad, or forget I'm the grown up simple because things are messy.

Messes can be cleaned up.

Peanut can fully be who SHE is. She's not stifling herself out of fear for how I might react.

Mom win.

I want my kids to dream big, to take risks, to be brave.

With all of that will definitely come falls, failures and messes.

I want them to know I will not be shaken by your mess.

You can live your best messy life and I'll still be sitting in my camp chair enjoying the view.

Mama Warriors, many times I think the messages our kids keep aren't the ones we are intentionally sending.

It's our reactions to their messes that resonate with them.

If we can be shaken by a little mud, what does that say about the world?

We have to be sitting in the camp chair unphased by the mess so they can be brave enough to make it.