OOPSIE DOOPSIE

“Mom!”

“Honey?”

“Hey, Ann…”

I always answer, “Yes.”

And I’m noticing all of my fellow mamas doing the same. All. The. Time.

As mothers, I don’t know if we were born this way or if something just clicked inside of us the moment we joined our lives with another person. When I think back, I don’t remember ever having an issue with sharing, always enjoyed making people happy and realized if I could make someone’s day a little brighter, my day was then just a bit more full. I try to compare these early “people pleasing” moments with my current motherhood state. Believe me, I tried. For me, the comparison game just doesn’t fit here.

Motherhood can be 100% categorized into its personal universe of giving.

From the moment we wake up until our heads hit that pillow, our lives – our hearts and souls – are gifted to someone else. We wear our hearts on our sleeves and encourage those itty bitty humans to take what they need. We don’t worry about what may or may not be left for us because we are concerned with the satisfaction of those we are joined with in life.

And soon emotions take over … feelings that I have come to know very well and did not welcome until becoming a mom. Sometimes, I feel inconsistent. Unraveled. Off-kilter. {Insert your synonym here! 🙂 } Always happy to serve but holy moly.

As difficult as it is to admit, we may sometimes forget about taking proper care of ourselves. Guilt sets in. Time runs out. We are famous for constantly uttering “there isn’t enough time” when it comes to self care. NO ONE is better at putting off time for the self than a mom.

But here’s the catch…

We need to fuel our souls and fill up our hearts so that we can continue to give. Without taking just a little bit of time to recharge, we begin to coast on fumes, dancing with that E line. And the mama that suddenly appears from the fumes is one you don’t want to meet on even the brightest, busiest of streets. We don’t take prisoners at this point. You know what I’m talking about.

What can we do? Maybe it’s a day out with our girlfriends, taking an extra long shower, grabbing a coffee alone or getting a date night on the calendar. Something special for us. {And sometimes, it’s just a walk around the block.}

We’re so busy. We’re trying to catch our breath while attempting to remember the fifth prioritized item on our ever-growing to-do list.

In the midst of it all, don’t forget about YOU and all that you are prepared to GIVE. All that you are giving. Because when you think about it …

WE are gifts.

MAMA, YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE GIFT.

T H A N K Y O U !

Linking up with Jessica!