Oh, it's been a trying week in so many respects. If I had one hundred decisions to make this week, I've questioned at least 99 of them. I don't know where all of the self-doubt came from, but it was definitely there. Thankfully, Friday has arrived.
This week reminded me about a lot of things...things that I sometimes forget about as I go through my daily life...and so it is those things that I will share with you today.
1. Be grateful. I am grateful this week for all of the little things - conversations, coffee, reassuring hugs, text messages, kisses from my kiddos, coffee (Ooh, I said that already!), the use of the words "thank you." There's probably a million other things I could list, but you get the gist. These are all little things...it's not like I won a trip or received a check for a million dollars (I'd be grateful for those things, too!), but sometimes you just need to take a moment and know that the little words or gestures or insignificant items such as coffee can really make a significant difference to someone. This week those things mattered to me. For that, I am grateful.
2. You can change your mind. About a week ago I stated to a class that this was "...the way it is. Just deal with it." And then, this week, I found myself in a situation where I had to go back on that. At first, I'll admit it, I was pissed. I really didn't want to back down on what I had said. I was angry that I was being put in a situation where I felt I was going against what I had vowed would be. But, a few days have now passed and I realize, you know what, it's okay to change your mind. It's okay to reverse a decision if the situation calls for it. In the long haul, this is SOOOOOO minor...for me and for those involved. I've learned from it...and I hope they have, too.
3. Be committed. I'm subbing right now and I thought that it would be really easy to just come in, teach the lessons, and leave each day at 3 p.m. But, I find myself heavily invested in what I thought would just be a silly little job. The pay is crummy and, at times, the job is very trying, but I'm all in. I'm committed to the students. I'm committed to the teacher I'm subbing for. I'm in...110%! I think that whatever you choose to do, you should be all in. Commit to it...give it all you've got. At times, that commitment may try to suck the life out of you, but the rewards are great. I wholeheartedly believe that.
4. Give yourself a break occasionally. My back has been out for most of the week. It's much better today, but Monday - Thursday - it sucked, to put it nicely. What does this mean? Well, I did not exercise one minute in the past week. Not one. There was a time in my life when this would cause extreme anxiety...I mean extreme. But, sometimes you just need to accept things for what they are and move on.
I also did not cook one meal for my family this week. Yes, my kids lived on boxed macaroni and cheese and cereal, toast and bacon this week. We're all fine. My kids did not starve. Heck, they didn't even care.
So put aside your Pinterest aspirations and inspirations and know that it's okay to give your children a meal from a box, miss a workout and drink an extra beer every now and then. We all need the occasional break.
5. Hug your kids. If you have kids, give them a big, ol' hug! Grayson and I butted heads several times this week, but at the end of each day...we hugged it out. One night (after the arrival of his report card) I even said to him, "Hey dude! We need to hug it out." And guess, what? Things were good. They're only little once. They make mistakes. We make mistakes. But, I still firmly believe a hug can make things better...
Okay...so these are my reminders for the week. Nothing earth-shattering. No great words of wisdom. Heck, you might not even need these reminders, but maybe one of them resonated with you. Or, maybe when you have a difficult week in the future...one of these reminders will come in handy!
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