*This is a bit of a tribute to two friends who were my inspiration to pick blogging back up. (Even if just for today!)*
Like most areas of my life, this blogging thing is quite cyclical... I suppose if I had more of a following, I might be more consistent, but as it is, I don't mind letting it slip through the cracks most of the time. I do the same amongst weeks of reading, meal-planning, crafty projects, even laundry and dishes! (I'll be honest: it's rare that dishes DON'T get neglected.) You just can't be on top of everything every week. Or, (as Darci says: http://missdarci.blog.com/2014/06/07/super-mom/ ), you can't be SuperMom! But it's also like my grandma's plaque says: "This house is clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy!"Maybe being SuperMom just means being the best version of ourselves. Some ways I've heard it said are: "To be holy is to be uniquely you." or "To be perfect is to change often." To tie this into the other post that revitalized my desire to blog (Erin's: honeymrsmommycoachmarshall.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/who-am-i/ ), being your version of SuperMom requires lots of self-knowledge and some self-pampering! From my new literature of mommy blogs, I recognize that loneliness and loss of identity is common for us! I mean, I *know* I used to like to read and dance and sit around at Starbucks, talking to friends. But I can't tell you the last time I've done one of those things, at least the ways I used to. As Erin concludes, it's just another season! And in each season, different roles take priority.
It's a drastic change to go from the season of independence and "self-discovery" (college) straight into a season of nearly 100% self-sacrifice (with varying degrees of honeymoon in between). A few Mays ago you might have found me napping (okay, not that different than today). But at that time I had plenty of time to visit with friends, read whole books at a time for leisure, take a shower on my own time (the height of luxury!), and no way would you find me meal-planning! Now any spare time I have, and most leisure activities, are geared directly or indirectly towards the sanctification of myself and my family. (Okay, other than taking hot baths and baking desserts. Although I could probably philosophize my way around those, too!) For example, the books I'm reading now are The Power of a Praying Wife and Brideshead Revisited. The first is pretty self-explanatory, but the second, a novel, I'm reading with a threefold purpose: first, because it led to the conversion of a fellow mommy blogger; second, because it's a classic and I'm looking ahead to homeschooling; and finally, third, I hope I might enjoy it!
As trying as this season can be, I know the leisure time of empty nesters' season will come with its own sense of loneliness. So, for now, let's focus our skills and talents on the sanctification of ourselves and our families. But don't forget to do a little rekindling of interests and leisure activities for your own enjoyment, because, as I've also read, "You cannot give what you do not have!"
