I am coming out of a particularly stressful few weeks. Weeks where I focused too much on what needed to be done and not nearly enough on what already had been done.
Today was a perfectly beautiful, ordinary day. We ate breakfast burritos, played in the floor, went to a baseball game as a family, played in the floor some more, read some books, watched Sul Ross basketball on tv and Mama did some homework. Jak attended his first baseball game today, and it was very cold. When we came home Jarrett built our first fire in our fireplace and I did more homework in front of it. As I listened to the sound of the fire crackling and my son laughing and playing in the next room, it struck me. This is what I have waited for. This ordinary Saturday is a dream come true.
I think often we focus too much on the extraordinary. The trips, the large purchases, the milestones and the celebrations. The problem with these is they are few and far between. I have always dreamed of a sweet simple life that I did not need escape from. Today I realized I was living a dream and I reveled in it. I tried to soak in the feeling of Jak’s little, slobber soaked hands on my face. The sound of the fire crackling and him babbling. The sound of Jarrett’s laughter as he played with our son. The tone of voice he uses to call me from the next room. These are the moments that shape my life and I am so happy they are.
Currently, I sit at our dining room table with a fire crackling behind me. I am surrounded by books and research articles that need to be read and homework that needs to be done. Among them are sprinkled snacks, notes and baby toys. It is a perfect representation of my life. Rather than dreading the homework that lay before me, I chose to honor the privilege that education is. Being a Dr. isn’t my dream, earning a doctoral degree is. There’s a huge distinction between the two. The value is in the learning, not the outcome.
Becoming a mother wasn’t my goal, being a mother is. Becoming a wife wasn’t my goal, being a wife is. Becoming an athletic director wasn’t the goal, being one is. Buying a home wasn’t the goal, caring for a home I own was. Do you see the subtle shift in mindset among those things? One mindset focuses on checking a box, the other focuses on the daily work and honor these accomplishments bring us. One focuses on the end game, one embraces the process. Lean into the joy of the ordinary sweet friends, it will completely change your life.
