Today was a roller coaster of a day! Can I tell you a not-so-secret secret? I often struggle with feeling like I’ve achieved my goal of having a balanced day (that is why my mindful minute routine is so important to me!). Today was one of those days; the morning started with taking my daughter to a strawberry patch. Being 26 weeks pregnant, I let Nora do the work of bending down and she loved it! As a mom, and person (because we all know that our sense of motherhood is unduly connected to our sense of being a decent person) I felt productive and “fruitful”(please, try to control your giggle!)

We returned home and had a decent day with my husband and visiting a friend. By the end of the day, I was faced with a trashed kitchen and house, and had zero creative ideas for dinner. I motived myself to clean the ever daunting and mocking kitchen by making a deal: if I could clean the kitchen, then I will have room to cook and an idea will come to me!

Once I completed this heroic effort, I looked around and realized I was no closer to finding the answer to my conundrum; what do I cook? What do I actually have energy to cook and clean up? I looked at my hungry toddler feeling all the mom guilt wash over me. As toddlers do, she enthusiastically asked for cereal. I didn’t have any energy reserves to argue, so Kix and almond milk it was. As we ate together in my sparkling kitchen, I couldn’t help but think all the negative thoughts…

“I’m a bad mom. Look at me, I can’t even figure out a proper dinner”

“At least is sort of healthy? No, its pretty much air and milk..”

“Maybe if I read the Kix box enough times I’ll believe I am actually providing something decent…”

It wasn’t until later in the evening as I took a moment of quiet to myself that I realized I had completely overlooked something in my day….

I had DOMINATED that damn kitchen! I spent the day telling myself it wasn’t going to get clean and overcame my exhaustion. Ya’ll, I even packaged the strawberries we collected in a nice baggie in the fridge to use for smoothies tomorrow. Did I give myself any real credit for this super human feat? Nope. nada. Not even a little bit.

How often do we do this in our every day life? We focus on where we fall short instead of where we have climbed mountains. Our mountains are all different, and its easy to say that cleaning a kitchen, or getting out of bed, or showering, or any of the basic things that “shouldn’t” be hard but are oh so hard are tiny mole hills and don’t deserve any credit.

When we are living in a place of shame, we don’t allow ourselves to feel proud of the every day mountains we climb. Our expectations for ourselves are unfair and judgmental, and this bleeds through into the way we treat others, especially those extra close to us. We expect so much of ourselves, and others, that we are constantly feeling resentful and disappointed. This can be a major relationship block, but even worse, it is soul killing. This isn’t to say that we can’t dream and strive for some “big” goal, but its important to remember that we are amazing super heros just simply by existing. Being kind, to others and OURSELVES, is a super human feat.

The truth is, we fall short, and we achieve, every. single. day. How does focusing only on our shortcomings while ignoring our strengths help us? It only creates resentment, disappointment, shame, guilt, and all the terrible feelings that create that “stuckness”. When we allow ourselves to experience the credit that we truly do deserve, we can experience a sense of serenity, peace, empowerment, and gratitude, even if the day didn’t go as planned.

So today my friends, celebrate the hero that you are. Be proud of all you achieved today, even if that looks different than you expect. I know there is something in your day today that is worthy of credit, and that credit is far more useful, and important, than anywhere we fall short!

With Cereal and Serenity,

Leah