Mothering during the Summer

Mom with three kids "Summertime and the livin' is easy..." -Gershwin It's summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. My summer has been anything but.  It's had cloudy days, tearful nights. And questions, lots of questions. It has had lies and betrayals. And relationships that have eroded beyond repair. It has brought me to my knees. And, it has required profound resolve to remember life's true meaning just to make it through. And  required the maturity to do what is right despite what I may be feeling. It has been a lot. It has been incredibly hard. And, it has taught me that I am incapable of being broken. So, even though summertime ain't been easy, this life is to be celebrated. Because like Gloria Gaynor, "I will survive!" And, I have. I am even thriving.

One Secret to Working Mom Success: Invest in Things That Make You Smile

  

On the surface, working moms are measured by their poise. However, whether we are fashionable or frazzled, we are defined by how we navigate this precarious journey. What makes my journey precarious are my responsibilities and my own ambition. My responsibilities include my children, my husband, and my job. However, my ambition motivates me to do the best I can at each of those and also motivates me to give back to my community, invest in my career and to always contemplate, "Am I being the best me that I can be?"

That translates into this, I am always doing a lot and often thinking about doing even more!
When I was studying for the bar exam, a very precarious journey, I committed to doing something I enjoyed every day. At the the time, I was low on money and time. So, what it looked like then was making myself a nice lunch and watching a TV show I liked while I did it. Then, I ate lunch while watching TV. After that, I cleaned up and studied. I rinsed and repeated that every day. 

It taught me the importance of ritual. And, I've tried to apply it ever since.

One of the ways that I navigate this precarious journey these days is by buying fresh flowers, often. Fresh flowers make me smile and help remind me that all of my efforts are worth it.

I encourage you to identify what you enjoy and incorporate it into your life, no matter what. The ritual of it can help your endure the most difficult times--the times when things are hard, the times when things are made harder because of other people, and the times when you recognize that you are responsible for making yourself smile--I'm a witness!!!

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