It’s Thursday, so I’m Crafting my Life! This year, I’m just writing about whatever is currently on my mind. I invite you to do the same. If you would like to chime in and contribute a guest post about your own journey, please drop me a line.
This is my son Jacob’s first week in daycare. He goes three days a week to the same centre that his big sister, Hannah, attended as a preschooler. In fact, it just so happened that Jacob was born in the middle of the afternoon on a daycare day, so Hannah was actually in the centre when he arrived. Hannah continued to attend there for the first two years of his life, and Jacob was used to going to drop her off and pick her up. He loved the playground and the toys and the kids.
Because Jacob had spent so much time in and around the daycare, and because he’s naturally very outgoing, I expected that his transition into daycare would go smoothly. And on the whole, it has been reasonably easy. But it turns out that this is still a big change for our family, and for him. Even though things have gone reasonably well, I’m feeling the mental strain. I think he is, too. We have lots of cuddle time in the evening, and it’s mostly been OK, but we’re feeling it all the same.
I had been planning a big announcement-type post today. But you know what? I am out of that kind of energy. So, instead, I’m going to let myself off the hook. I’m going to bring a little bit more space for myself into my life. The announcement can wait a week, because today I need to rest my brain. (I will give you a hint and let you know that I’m re-visiting my advertising scheme on Strocel.com.)
Change is hard. Even good change. Even change that promises my son a chance to engage with other kids his age and be in a nurturing and enriching environment. Even change that promises me kid-free work time. It’s all still change, and it all still requires an adjustment period.
And so, while I let myself off the hook, I encourage you to let yourself off the hook, too. What can you let go of for today to bring a little bit more space into your own life? What can you do to bring a little more equilibrium into your daily existence, even if only for this day? And what’s stopping you from doing it?
You don’t have to answer those questions, if you don’t want to. They’re meant to be rhetorical. In fact, I think I’m asking them mostly for my own benefit. I should really be asking what’s stopping me. And the answer is a self-imposed need to be perpetually good, which is working in direct opposition to my own personal happiness. Just for today, I think I’ll forget about being good and choose to be happy. If you want to, feel free to join me.
Good for you, Amber. Change IS hard, good or bad. Letting yourself off the hook is good.
We just chose happy big time – I am quitting my job and we have sold our house. We are moving to the country, away from the city I love but just doesn’t make me happy anymore.
We needed equilibrium big time, and while what we’re doing is quite drastic, I know it will pay off in spades, just like weathering a little toddler adjustment period in preschool will
karengreeners’s last post … House, Sold. Heart, Heavy.
Woohoo – go Karen!
I feel like I let myself off the hook all the time, today I want to do all the stuff I’ve been seriously neglecting!
Naomi’s last post … Think Positively and Expect the Best of People
I see you’ve let go of the BlogHer ads. Interesting. I did the same a few months ago.
Since I started my Seeking Happy (which I didn’t write last week because I was so far from happy I just couldn’t manage it), I have given my self permission to let things go a bit. It sort of works, except that I tend to feel guilty about letting things slide. And now, you know what tomorrows post topic is about.
Marilyn @ A Lot of Loves’s last post … How to Get Rid of a Goose
I am going to *not* write a blog post or anything else while my children are eschewing naps even though they are both tired (as am I) and instead I will just go through all the tabs in my browser and then have some tea.
Mmmm. Tea.
I love my neighbour, who has three kids. She always says. I’m just not worried about any of our kids. They are ALL going to be fine. I just find that so comforting. She just does not walk down the “worry about my kids” path and I applaud her for that.
So I let go of worrying about Theo! He IS GOING TO BE FINE! Woop!
Change is always good. It helps us grow. I’d still like to find some more “me” time…somehow killing myself at a boot camp ain’t cutting it
bravo!
i’m letting myself off the hook by running back home to my parents for the summer
the Wee Guy and I are heading back to the UK for the whole summer (expect blog posts about places, scenes, travel gadgets and creativity) and staying mostly in the house i grew up in. i’m not expecting to be mothered but it is a relief knowing my son will have someone else to talk to/interact with apart from me all day long.
this is my holiday to myself and him
pomomama’s last post … self portrait thursday: multi-tasking
This has been my week off, my letting off the hook week. ahhhhhh. It’s been a long hard spring and I’m loving this break.
Congrats on having Jacob in daycare! He’ll have so much fun, and you can have a few easier-to-focus hours per day.
Lady M’s last post … For My Next Desert Expedition
I hope Jacob’s daycare works well for you all.
Francesca’s last post … Sunday still life ~ italo-franco-english teepee
I’ve been thinking about this post a lot, especially since you commented on my blog about how tiring it is to try to be good all the time.
Tiring, yes. And yet, it’s so hard to let go of. Because being good is supposed to be good, right?
For me, the big revelation was seeing that in order to give up berating myself for being “bad” (whatever that might mean in the moment), I would also need to give up feeling good about being “good” (whatever that might mean in the moment).
Though honestly, I seem to not have been thinking much about good or bad recently, because it’s just too darn hot here in NYC to think about anything at all.
Rachael’s last post … On My Mind: 07.11.11
Wow, you just blew my mind (in a good way). You’re bang on. It’s just like the way I don’t tell my kids they’re “bad” OR “good”, because they just are, and they are worthy beings in and of themselves.
Thanks for the food for thought!