It’s so easy to get caught up in the million and one things on our to do lists and forget that those who love and care about us most usually need (and only want) the least from us. I came to this realization the other night as I was rocking Skylar, my oldest, to sleep. She loves her sleep and hardly ever has trouble going down, but for some reason that night she just wasn’t having it. So I pulled her into my bed, wrapped her in the covers, and began to sing to her one of my favorite lullabies that I made up for her right after she was born. Within minutes I had a little ball of joy curled up in a mountain of blankets, mind you, completely content without a care in the world.
This moment brought me back to the early days of her being born, and me in a hard core season of hustling, when every night ended like that. Both of us being completely exhausted, and me begging and praying through song that she would fall asleep–and stay asleep–all night. Those were the days when the essentials for her were sleep, a clean diaper, and milk. The reality is that not much has changed. Yes, at age two she needs a little more food, intentional time being taught things like letters and numbers, and added attention to her mischief of climbing over everything, but at the core, she still just needs the essentials, wrapped up in a lot of love.
It’s ok to just be
I’m constantly striving in my job all day, and have found that I immediately take that mentality into family time when I close my computer for the evening. The truth is that if I’m doing life right, there doesn’t need to be striving at all–for anything. For anyone who needs this, like I really did and do need to be reminded of, here is your permission that sometimes, it’s okay to just be. Show up unapologetically as who you are, where you are, without feeling the need to impress, and just give it your all with what you have. Oftentimes, we are our own hardest critic, but I will say it again: Those who love and care about us most, usually need (and only want) the least from us. Be there for them today.
With Love,
– LW
LIFE WITH LW 