The View this Valentine's Day Eve comes from Julia of Elated Exhaustion.
Julia had me with this gem:
"Each time I hit the publish button, it is with a delicate balance of vulnerability and bravery."
Which is now part of my Me & Why I Blog page.
She shares her perspective on motherhood today.
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The Lens of Motherhood
My house is littered in Legos and stray toys.
When I open my refrigerator, I am greeted with juice boxes and pre-packaged children’s snacks.
My bed rotates décor and the fancy throw pillows that used to adorn it are tossed on the floor as Curious George and Leo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles settle their way in.
I cannot take a shower without a pair of small eyes looking at me and my makeup is now just as much a child’s play toy as it is a tool to make myself presentable.
I am a Mom.
I have friends who are not yet mothers. They tell fabulous stories about events they go to, dance classes they take, dinners they leisurely partake in, and life as lived through the lens of a person without children.
I cannot make plans without first arranging a babysitter.
“Getting ready” is not as simple as taking a shower, getting dressed, and doing hair and makeup. It is a full-fledged routine which often involves chasing a toddler around while in a varied stage of nudity.
Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to have a home not decorated in the toys of a little one and not draped in the ever so slightly sticky coat of toddler-ness that binds itself to the walls and the furniture.
Sometimes, I wonder what quiet would sound like, what peace would be like; what a world not tethered to a little one would mean.
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| Credit: Amy Robinson Photography |
But then, I take in my view. The living room scattered with toys, the kitchen filled with snacks for little ones, the upstairs bedroom devoted to my little boy.
And I smile at the pictures on my wall displaying my little one momentarily captured at different stages of growth.
I am so very aware that this stage of intensity and littleness is not a permanent one.
The things I’m “missing out on” right now in my life are things that could never compare to the small beauty found in little sticky fingers, afternoons of lego building, and good night cuddles from my son.
I am a Mom. I view life from the lens of motherhood.
And for that, I’m so very thankful.
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Of course we are always wistful for what could or might be if some circumstance were different.
But when you do stop and look around at the life you have, you can't imagine it any other way.
That is the epitome of gaining perspective and living with a grateful heart.
Find more of Julia at her:
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