A wise person once told me just do it, you never know what will come of it. I heard those words as a young person, and they stuck. Yes, we should make the most out of every situation and try and look to the bright side, but I'm talking about looking at more than just one side of the thing you are doing. For instance, yesterday I went to a conference/meeting of illustrators in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, I did not want to go. I was tired, a bit under the weather, behind in every chore, and just a little crabby. But I paid for it, and I went. The conference was actually great, but there was another side to it that was also great.
The event was located in the middle of a farm that was surrounded by cornfields. Reminded me a bit of New Hampshire. It was overcast, and a storm was brewing in the distance. Some of the dilapidated buildings on the premises looked ominous. It was the perfect setting for a horror story, and the perfect setting for taking pictures.
Although bucolic and lovely in spots, the other areas could have been straight out of Night of the Living Dead, so I snapped away. I did not have a camera, so I used my iPhone. Look for the funny within the serious, the hidden within the obvious, the emotional withing the stoic, or the love within the hate.
To me there are many sides to every moment. Look for them--they are many times better than the obvious. xo
We love our kids. We love 'em when they are tiny and helpless and rely on us for everything. Then they get a bit bigger and we think we are going to get a bit more time to ourselves because someone said that kids can "play on their own" more as they get older. Their attention spans expand and they can entertain themselves. Well--no. When they start to talk and that brain fires left, right and sideways with all the rapid growing they are doing, their favorite thing to say will be MOM. Or Ma, Momma, Mommy, or Mum. The first time you hear Mama out of those teeny bow lips will be one of the most memorable days in your life.
Fast forward a year. They will use it hundreds of times a day. And it will still be wonderful to be a mom. But there will also be times you want to pull your hair out of your head. You are the first person that means everything to them--but that does not mean that you should let yourself go insane. You will feel like no one can care for your child as well as you can--and you are right. No one will have that incredible connection. And that is FINE. They need to get out in the world a bit, experience new things, and have some fun--just like you do.
It does not have to be every day, but often enough that you have something to look forward to every week. Get a manicure--or get together with a friend and give each other mani/pedis. Stop at Starbucks on the way home for a treat, and have a probably much needed free girlfriend therapy session. Or simply go somewhere and read--ALONE. It does not really matter what you do, as long as you fill your tank when the fuel gets low. They tell you on a plane if (GOD FORBID) the oxygen masks fall that you should take care of yourself before any children. It's the same thing--you are no good for anyone--including yourself--if you have nothing to give. So go out and fill your tank. Have some fun. Then spread that sunshine around. Come back on Wednesday--I will have a craft for the kids for these last few days of summer. XO
