Home

As my morning is unfolding with all of the things that need to be done and a few that “want” to be done, three words stood out to me particularly for today given how I am feeling. The words are: deliberate, patient, persistent. These words are particularly important for me today because I am feeling the exact opposite of all three. I am feeling scattered with too many things to do. Impatient with restrictions and limitations to getting them all done. Like there is no straight line to follow, only a winding path that may or may not get me where I want to go.

Today I need to live deliberately. Make a plan that takes into account my priorities instead of doing what I *feel* like doing at any given time. That is sometimes hard for me. I like having flexibility and being able to choose what I do based on how I feel. And some of the time that method works. But today flexibility would get me to the end of the day more irritable than I started it.

Patience is important for me today for many reasons but the most important one is that I am a stay at home mother who is starting out with a personal “patience deficit” anyway. I know that my lack of patience can shape my child in ways that I do not want it to so it is a constant work-in-progress. I also know that, no matter how much I plan, things never go completely according to plan. So I will need to be patient when my plan hits a glitch.

Persistence for me today means that even if the plan goes to pot or I get off track, I take a deep breath and jump in where I can. That I don’t say “Oh, it’s too late to get any exercise today” or “I’ll do (x,y,z) tomorrow” and head for the snack foods. That I am not judgmental of myself for not completing everything on my often-unrealistic to-do list. But instead that I persist in doing as much as I can get done and feel good about it at the end of the day.

On that note, I am off to make a plan. One that includes play time with Petunia, “play time” (sewing) for me, and a generous sprinkling of “have to’s”. Have a great day!