WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
A list, and a text from a friend.
“Having a child is like a long personal development course”, a friend wrote me today (♡).
I read that, sat down and finally understood the bulldozer that ran over me this week. This week, I have indeed gone through all the ups and downs of an accelerated self-discovery retreat. I’ve breathed in and breathed out. I’ve doubted myself, and wondered how I was going to manage. I’ve tried laughing it off. I’ve lost it. I’ve gone for fresh air. I’ve hit a wall, and screamed a couple of times. I’ve felt anger and loneliness. I’ve also felt thankful, and I’ve felt appreciated. There’s been some moments of peace. Some moments of quiet.
A long personal development course. With a toddler in tow through all of that, it takes a minute to reflect instead of just doing doing doing cleaning cleaning working working writing writing thinking thinking feeding organizing dressing up dressing down playing reading walking eating sand paying bills planning things running after running crazy running behind.
It takes a minute to sit down and stop and give myself the space to think about what I can take from this week. If this is a personal development course, what am I learning?
I’ve learned that it does help to take a couple of deep breaths.
I’ve learned that my daughter likes to fart when she sits on my face.
I’ve learned that when another mother says, I need fresh air and a coffee, you just go with her.
I’ve learned that we can do an oddly enormous amount of things in 24 hours.
I’ve learned, yet again, that we should choose our partners well. Choose. Well. Love them, but also, for real – choose them well.
I was reminded that, when given time, I should take it unapologetically.
I’ve learned that often, a good meal is the best and only answer.
A long personal development course. I’m looking at that text from my friend, and I hope to remember all of that next week.
