MOM SO HARD
Source: @elarroyo_atx
If you’re reading this and you’re also a mom by any definition, I want to start by giving every single one of you a giant standing ovation. Seriously, stand up, take a bow, pat yourself on the back, then get in your car and drive far away for the day (I’m half kidding).
As if being a mom wasn’t challenging enough pre-pandemic, now some of us are also teachers! If I’m being completely honest with you, I’m struggling and I can’t figure out third grade math (never mind TEACH IT). Why am I struggling? I’m blaming it on being cooped up and I apologize to everyone for my quarantine-induced red flag behavior.
In all seriousness, I’m currently not totally doing all the things I KNOW I need to do to take care of myself. I’m not having much fun. I’m mothering 24/7. I’ve been going to bed at an ungodly hour. My AM routine has gone to shit. And most importantly, I haven’t slowed down because I’m overwhelmed and am just doing too much. Jill of all trades over here! And Jordan and I went from spending three days a week together for the past three years to being together all day, everyday. Like so many of you, all this togetherness is just not our norm. Some days I feel like I need to go outside and let out a giant cathartic scream at the top of my lungs, and I know the feeling is mutual. We all could really use some alone time. Some time off. Can you relate?
But with all that said, I’m counting my blessings. Everyone I care about is healthy and safe. In a perfect world, spas and salons would be open today, but I know we'll all get a Rain Check for that kind of treatment in the coming months! My Mother’s Day was supposed to be spent on the beaches of Sayulita, Mexico training a group of twenty amazing women, giving us all a much needed reset. Obviously, Activation has been postponed until November so we’ll have to wait another 187 days.
So how can we celebrate ourselves today as we spend even more time with our families? I think that the greatest gift is to just be present. And then get out of the house or do whatever you need and want to do to honor yourself with some much needed alone time. A few fun things I plan to do:
Take a drive, roll my windows down, feel the breeze in my hair, blast music that makes me want to sing and dance and let myself feel totally free for a moment.
Take a bath with a glass of champagne.
A pedicure while catching up on my fave podcasts.
Talk to my mom and my girlfriends.
SUGARFISH (take out) al fresco because I miss sushi and I will NOT be cooking tonight.
And lastly, I plan to give my family a giant hug. As difficult as the days have been, I’m grateful to have this time with them. When Mars was younger, I was not able to work from home and I missed out on so much time that I’ll never be able to get back. These past eight weeks I’ve been able to watch him grow and change right before my very eyes.
So keep going Mama’s. Because life is amazing. And then it is awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful. ― L.R. Knost