A Destiny… (a letter to my son)

God made you to stand out.  You were never meant to blend in.  You are rare, special, unique and a leader.  Swans don’t blend in with pigeons?  Lions don’t play with house cats?  You were destined for greatness.

If school seems hard and you don’t fit in, it’s because you are being trained to work harder, work longer, and to know your own value without being validated… and your rewards will be greater.

Your mind is different because you weren’t created to think like the average student.  You don’t learn the way ordinary students learn because you are extraordinary.  Your response to the world is profound.  You think outside the box.  You find solutions others can’t.   You build and create new inventions others aren’t capable of visualizing, because they aren’t you.

This is your purpose.  This is your destiny.  You don’t blend in because you weren’t meant to.

Dirty Shirts and Undies are Blessings too…

Holy smokes, get me a double espresso, extra large coffee with a shot of vodka!! I want to do it all! I want to make perfect, visually appetizing, nutritional lunches that reflect all the colors of the rainbow, that my kids won’t trade for a bag of Teddy Grahams. I want to keep my house model-home clean, so when the neighbors pop in, I’m not mortified when they notice the “My Little Pony” undies were dropped and left in the middle of the kitchen (yes, that’s the path to the laundry room). I want my daughter to clean her room and I want my son to wear pjs to sleep in, not the clothes he went to school in. I want him to realize that wearing the same shirt you slept in and wore yesterday to school is gross, even if it’s turned inside out. Where did I go wrong??

I don’t want to work full-time crunching numbers like granola, to make a corporate entity millions, while they take away more flexibility and benefits. No more flex schedules. No more additional Paid Time Off after 25 years of service. No more work-at-home arrangements regardless of the Information Age we currently live in. Insurance premiums are rising, and raise percentages are not! Bonuses are minimal or obsolete regardless of how well the company overall did.

I want to write creative, engaging, inspiring blog posts that are beneficial to my readers. I want to inspire them to reach their goals. To accomplish their dreams. To be involved with their families for the fun stuff….not just the parenting stuff. Have a nerf war. Go hiking together. Go out for ice cream and just talk about last week. Have a family movie night… every week. Stop sweating the homework, the calories, carbs, bills, dust, laundry, undies on the floor, dirty-inside-out shirts.

But how, how, how do we do it all??  

Calm down, take a cleansing breath. Look around at the blessings in your life. Consider those unemployed, who would be happy to sweep the floor at any job. Those who are homeless and would love to have a dirty, dusty house with a laundry room full of dirty clothes. Or those parents who lost a child and would give anything to have one more fight over homework, dirty shirts, or dropped undies. We all have blessings to count. Strive for everything, attempt to do it all, but count your blessings too.

Hello 2017

Welcome 2017!  Are you excited, pumped up, ready to tackle the year?  What are your goals?  Are you going to eat healthier, cleaner, greener?  Hit the gym more?  The pavement, treadmill, bike or stair master more often, logging more miles, minutes, days, or flights?  Are you going to complete that online course?  Get your degree or certification?

It’s a new year, fresh start and clean slate.  If you’re like me, then you’re motivated right now.  But what happens in a month?  Will you still be motivated when the kids have colds and you’re up all night spoon feeding cough syrup?  Will you still be motivated to run those 3 miles?   What about when it’s sleeting outside and it’s 23 degrees?  Or the house is a mess and the laundry is piling up?  Your fourth grader has a Valentine’s Day party at school and you have to bring cupcakes (gluten free) and make 23 healthy, fun educational gifts to pass out to classmates.  Will you still be motivated to hit the gym and complete 15 flights on that stair master?  Will you log in after the kids are in bed and you’re exhausted, to get those next two lessons completed?  Does a salad sound yummy when it is snowing outside?  I’ve been there too.  By march, my health and my goals are no longer a priority and everything else comes before those three miles I promised I would run Tuesday morning.

Here’s a secret to accomplishing those goals….get a group of friends together and be accountable to each other.  Schedules are impossible to coordinate so simply stay connected through text message.  Report progress to each other daily.  I promise you will be inspired to get moving if your buddy just ran two miles or chose fruit and yogurt over chocolate cake.  I know, it’s not a secret, but it works!  If you still want to go it alone, report your progress through the comments and I’ll encourage you!!

I wish for you a very healthy, prosperous, joyful 2017!!