The second item on my #yearofbeautiful list is to live authentically.
Something that I did for that was for a life coach session with the fabulous Julie de Azevedo Hanks. I have an entire page of thoughts and notes from Skyping with her. If you want your own page of notes, I think you should chat with her, too. We had an excellent hour. From all of it, there is a gem that I would like to share with you.
Also, my session sparked conversations with both a good neighbor of mine and also my husband. I have something to share with you from each of those, as well. Ready? Here my three things I have to help me live authentically. As a mom and as a woman.
Do something every day where you feel alive
This came from Julie.
Kids need to see you alive.
I spend a lot of energy caring for my kids. It feels exhausting day in and day out. I lose myself in their demands. I often forget to do something so that ME, MOM, THE MOTHER, feels alive, in FRONT OF THEM. My kids notice when I’m frustrated, exhausted, running low, or short-tempered. So, of course, it makes sense that they will notice when I am feeling happy, accomplished, and ALIVE.
What do you love to do? What are you good at?
By answering those questions, you can make a good list of things to do where you kids can see you alive. My list includes writing, doodling, and playing the piano.
You create their world
This came from Nathan.
So many days it feels mundane to make meals and snacks, clean up after meals and snacks, go through the routine of trying to keep naptimes consistent, struggle through the bedtime routines, and do all of the in-between things like potty training, cleaning up ALL THE TOYS, and consistently discovering new walls, furniture, or lamp shades with Sharpie on them.
This matters, though. My kids feel safe. They feel secure.
Kids that don’t have stability in their lives are forced to live in survival mode. Nathan has seen this a lot working at many of the schools he’s been in. When kids live that way their brain is on hyper alert, their world is a scary place, and they cannot thrive.
At the end of MY day, I may not feel like I’ve realized any quantifiable accomplishments, but if I’m able to step back and see the day-to-day stability and predictability through the eyes of my toddler and preschooler, then I can see the environment I am creating for them wherein they can be well-nourished.
Your service models the life of our Savior
This came from my neighbor, Nora.
On the morning of my life coaching session, I told her about how I was really looking forward to my appointment and what kinds of things I might talk about it. She told me that she really wanted to hear how it went and I said, deal. Later that day, she emailed me with some of her thoughts. One of these was on how similar the role of a mom is to the life of Jesus Christ. I had not thought of this before. Or at least, not in a concrete way, so reading her thoughts was a big a-ha moment for me.
The Savior cares of each one of us.
I care for each one of my children.
He fed the 5000.
I feed my family.
He washed the feet of His disciples.
I wash hands, faces, snotty noses, and bathe my children.
He healed the sick.
Just last week, I was up in the night with sick kids, holding them, giving them medicine, and praying for their health.
He taught constantly.
I teach my kids constantly.
He gave His life for each one of us.
In a small way, I give my life as I sacrifice my sleep, time, and energy.
So this month, I feel I am doing better at living authentically because I better understand my divine role as a mom, how I’m creating a safe and nurturing world for my kids, and that it is important for them to see me doing things that make me feel alive.
So what things would you put on your “I’m Alive!” list?
Sciolist in the City of Salt and Saints 
Thank you for this. I’ve been wallowing in mom-pity this week and this was just the ticket to changing my perspective. So. Good.
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