12/22/2021:
I was driving to work this morning and looked down beside me where three water bottles, struggling for breathing room in the center of my car, looked back up at me.
I caught myself feeling guilty and ashamed for failing to bring them back into the house with me each time I left the car. That I, the self-proclaimed “clutter queen” am a fraud when it comes to keeping her own space clean.
But then I remembered, that I am a busy single mom, who is constantly on the go, and that it is okay if I slip up every now and then. Right?
It occurred to me right there how hard I am on myself sometimes. I am sure we all are. As parents, spouses, family members, and friends, we always feel like we aren’t doing enough. So instead of beating ourselves up over the little “failures” let’s celebrate the successes.
I reminded myself that if my reusable bottles were instead disposable, the car would look way worse and have a negative impact on the world. I was instantly relieved by the notion that I was still living the way I am passionate about, even if I forget about the small things once in a while.
I thought about all that I am grateful for at that very moment. Instead of focusing on what I didn’t do or that I should have done better, I thought: how lucky am I to have a job to commute to! How lucky am I to be able to have a reliable vehicle – to hold all those bottles! How incredibly lucky am I to have constant access to clean drinking water!
That tiny moment in time created a giant shift in my thought process. I have been so wrapped up in trying to do everything “right” and “perfect” that I almost forgot about the luxuries of just being alive.
I wanted to take this time to remind each and every one of you that it’s not always about having the cleanest home or having the best-behaved children out in public (although that would be nice). It’s about giving ourselves a break. Because, let’s face it, we all need it.
I wish you all a Happy and Healthy Stress-Free New Year!
Please say something kind about yourself in the comments. Let’s get some positive energy flowing!
If you want to learn about decluttering (after the holidays of course!) Please check out some of my other articles.
Thank you for your continued support.
I just spoke with my cousin the other day about being hard on myself when making music. I was missing on all the hard work I do to complete my song and only thought about the finish when him and other people told me they loved my song and sometime I can be a perfectionist and that makes me my own enemy. Wonderful message you have keep the positive self love alive.
Thanks for putting things in perspective once again! I was fortunate enough to take your writing course last semester and it changed my perspective on so many things! Hope you're doing well!