As a little girl, I dreamt of being a dancer. Bright stage lights, loud music, twisting and turning every which way; it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. This dream bled well into my teenage years, led me to compete and pour endless hours into it and I think I can tentatively say that now well into adult years, there is still a twinkle in my eye when I think about slipping on those pink shoes again. More recently, I’ve had goals to run. I gave it up two years ago when my body was not prepared to handle the impact and motion (than you, morning sickness and expanding belly). But you know what I’ve done about this desire? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I’m a self-proclaimed realist. It’s easy to believe that there is no time for things I want to do, like running a half marathon or taking a pottery class. When you become a mother, it is so inevitable and natural to suddenly put yourself so far down on the list you forget to even brush your teeth. I’ll get to it, but I need to do a load of laundry first. Okay, but only after dinner is prepped. But I wonder—when does it become a good time to work towards these goals? Our kiddos aren’t going anywhere. Responsibility, in fact, does nothing but pile the older we all get. Instead of seeing time as an impossible factor and children as an excuse, it may be about time we find the courage to do things that keep us moms more whole.
A big part of this will have to be reserving judgement towards yourself. You may have to adjust tv time from in the morning, so you can get coffee, to the afternoon so you can sit and work on a project you have been wanting to finish. Tack on an extra ten minutes to babysitter time, because heck. You deserve those extra minutes. Mom to mom, human to human, there should be no shame or guilt associated with doing something for yourself.
Do something really, really good for yourself this month. Set some goals, envision a dream, get your kids involved and reach it. You are a mom, but you are still an individual. What do you want to achieve?
