inhale

"Every time you pretend to be less than you are, you steal permission from other women to exist fully."

Peanut has been a little under the weather the last few days. I've been sleeping on her floor. 

So "sleeping" may be an overstatement. Turns out middle aged me isn't cut out for sleepovers on my floors. 

Yesterday I asked Sweet Daddy to sit with her while I went for a walk. 

Motherhood is a lot of EXHALING. 

Sacrificing, giving, serving. 

I've learned in order to do that well, I must make time to INHALE. 

Time to do the things that feed my soul. Time to read. Time to walk. Time to pray. Time to shower. 

We seem to define ourselves by our exhales but really I think "good mothers" find that balance between the inhale and the exhale. 

The women I admire most these days are the ones who seem to navigate that balance well. The women who make time for themselves, for their marriage, for their friendships AND for their kids. 

I woke up one day this summer and our oldest was 18. 

I've been stuck in this sentimental reflection of the last eighteen years (though I'm under no illusion that I'm done parenting her). 

Turns out there is no prize for being the "one who suffered the most" or the "one who sacrificed the most." 

At some point in parenting I think we all weigh how it all turned out. 

When we weigh the cost of the exhale without the inhale, what will we find?

Mama Warriors as we continue through what I lovingly call the season of chaos, I encourage you to find your INHALE. 

I listened to a podcast this week where the author encouraged us to remember that our children won't remember the specifics of holidays year to year but what they will remember is how our homes felt. 

I challenge you to balance that INHALE with your exhale this season. 

Your kids won't remember the specifics of the places you went or the gifts they open. They will remember the general way the holidays felt in your home. 

Inhale.