You Are Enough And Don't Forget It!

I am a mother of two exceptional children. And yes, I'm biased. Why are they exceptional? It's not their talents, looks, obedience, or intelligence that makes me love them. They are exceptional because they are mine, and I could care less what package they came in.

What I've tried to teach and show my kids is that they are enough. I accept and love them today as I will tomorrow and in the future. Nothing they say or do will change that. Why do I want them to know this?

Because life is hard enough as it is trying to please those who only offer conditional love and acceptance. It's exhausting and debilitating. Truth is, most of us would figure out who we are and what we want a lot faster if we were allowed to simply just be.

When I was a little girl, I felt invincible. I could be anyone. Do anything. I was the coolest, feistiest,  red-head on the block. It didn't matter that my mom gave me a mullet every time she cut my hair or that my clothes were hand-me-downs. I strutted my stuff anytime, anywhere. (I still do that sometimes...to the horror of my children, except without the mullet.)

But, why not? Why can't we just simply be? Even if it means staring at the wall for 30 straight minutes when we think we should be practicing French or recording and measuring every ounce of food we ate that day. Or dancing in the grocery store while my children run away in utter humiliation.  In this world, most of us are constantly striving and trying to become someone else, even if we are told it will be a better version of ourselves. "Don't stop." "Don't quit." "The new you is right around the corner." What's wrong with the me now? I kinda like me. Is that wrong?

All that motivational crap is only good if it's WHAT YOU WANT. It should never be about what anyone else wants for you or thinks you should do. Stop striving to be someone else, because the someone you are now is pretty cool! In all your glory, with your jagged edges, scars, open wounds and all, you are SOMEBODY!

Loving and accepting your imperfect self is HARD work. In fact, I am still on this journey. It is tough, with all the voices in my head and people pulling me in a million different directions. It's hard to know what is yours and what is crap.

Like I tell my kids, "If someone gets in your bubble, tell them to step off!"

If they don't like you, who cares? I think you're awesome, but that doesn't matter either. You have to think you're awesome and truly believe it! The world is made up of people in a variety of flavors. We weren't all meant to be vanilla. How dull and meaningless life would be if that was the case. Me? For years, I thought I had to be vanilla, but Rocky Road suits me best, and I'm still learning to be ok with that:)