Last time I was in the French Alps, I had a bit of a situation (if you read this post, you know the French Alps aren’t exactly my happy place).
It was 28 degrees. I was hiding out in the bathroom. But I had just finished up doing work while sitting outside on the small deck attached to our apartment for the week in Tignes, France.
To be clear, it was f***ing freezing. And hiding in the bathroom, I was still f***ing freezing from being outside. But I was out there because inside, it had been just too loud. Really, really loud. I couldn’t get a break. I couldn’t get a minute of work in edgewise. So I escaped. Sometimes as moms, this is exactly what we have to do. We have to get creative and literally take the moments that we find to make us feel good, when we can manage being mindful enough to see them.
Being cold does not make me feel good, but working does. I’m not interested in getting frostbite in a fifteen-minute span of time, but I wanted to work. And sometimes, doing what we want IS the work.
It isn’t always easy to do what we want. It’s hard to “choose you”. In fact, for most moms I know, it’s really, really hard.
It’s hard to disappoint others when they want you to be a certain way, or do a certain thing. It’s hard to say “no” when you KNOW others – even those you love – really want you to say “yes.” It’s hard to go against the grain, and rise above what everyone else is doing or saying or perhaps even thinking, and follow your own intuition. But follow it, you must!
So when it comes down to it, I just want to say:
Do more of what you want.
Even if it isn’t what others want. Even if you have to say “no.” Even if you have to go against the grain. Because my core belief is that when you do what you truly want and love, what lights you up and fills you with joy and purpose and meaning, it is always ultimately the best thing for everyone around you.
I hope you have a wonderful day… and I hope that you find some time to take care of yourself. Even if it means hiding in the bathroom, too. 🙂
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