There’s this moment that comes almost every day. I carefully walk down our wooden stairs, making sure not to step on the creaky parts. And when I get downstairs I want to run outside and do a few victory laps. Because I have two napping children, which means I will get at least 45 minutes to myself. And then I get totally overwhelmed. Because there is so much I want to squeeze into that 45 minutes I don’t even know where to begin. Life is a balancing act, so they say and I am finding it harder than ever to keep my balance these days. The thing that often sends me toppling over is my own unrealistic expectations.. I want to be a loving and supportive wife. I want to be a loving and attentive mother. I want to be a thoughtful and fun-loving friend. I want to document our lives with amazing pictures.I want to bake bread from scratch. I want to write killer blog posts. I want to handwrite thoughtful letters. I want to be active and exercise. I want to be a world class knitter [ok, I’d be happy if I could just finish a scarf for-crying-in-the-sink]. I want to have a healthy and hot meal on the table each night. ..with fresh fruits and vegetables straight from our garden. Truth is, I accomplish many of these things. But never all at once and that constantly has me feeling like I’m failing at life. Because let’s be honest.. if I’m preparing a delicious dinner, I’m not being an attentive mother and chances are the kids are playing in the toilet or eating ladybugs. Sometimes, what I really need is to stop focusing on what I’m not doing and simply be. Marla
“All desires but one can fail. The only desire that is infallibly fulfilled is the desire to be loved by God.” Thomas Merton