I am the proud mom of two boys. While society considers me to be their role model, I knew the moment I laid eyes on both of my sons, they are actually my greatest teachers. They show me how life is truly meant to be enjoyed. Children are amazing instructors for showing us what pure joy looks like. They remind us how simple it all can be.
Being in this place of raising boys is an adventure each day. Sometimes this adventure finds me holding my breath and covering my eyes so I don't have to witness their falls. Other times my heart feels like it may burst because I can hardly contain the love I feel. My favorite part of the day comes at the end, when all they want is a snuggle and to share the details of their day and their unique perspective of the world.
Every day I see the little men they try so hard to be. My heart sometimes aches for them because I so badly want them to never lose sight of how precious and worthy they will always be. I want them to know they are enough, no matter what stumbles they will undoubtedly have to walk through on their own unique journey.
Knowing all of this, I can still find myself frustrated and at times overwhelmed by the noise and the mess and the chaos that comes in a house filled with masculine energy. Inside this adventure, I have come to discover that motherhood has become a foundation and learning ground for finding and experiencing truths about myself and about life.
These are my top three favorite things I have learned so far on my colorful adventure of being the mom to two amazing boys. These insights I've been gifted through motherhood are applicable to everyone -- enjoy!
1. We Are All the Same
Whether we are: female, male, young, old, rich, poor, born here, there or anywhere - we are at the end of the day all human. We hurt the same, feel joy the same, feel fear the same, have worries and feel shame the same. We all have the capacity to connect and share the essence of who we are in the world.
There can be confusion about all of the above, and that's how we know we have fallen into the pit of untruths. We are not meant to be living in confusion or meant to waste our precious lives feeling less than or fearful of jumping into the adventures before us. We are definitely not meant to live in suffering from judging one another or from trying to prove a point why our way is the best and only way.
Instead, we are meant to embrace the life we have, live it to the fullest and accept that we may all choose different paths from the boundless number of possible paths before us. We are all worthy and capable of having amazing life adventures of our own making. At the end of the day, the spirit alive in each of us comes from the same kind of miraculous force - love.
2. Enjoy the Ride
Laugh, dance if you can, fake it if you can't, hug the people who are important to you and share your smile with as many people as you possibly can. Whatever you do, enjoy where you are. If you aren't finding the joy in where you are, then get quiet, get still and connect back in with yourself. Be real and honest with yourself and get into the habit of trusting yourself to guide you on a path that is joyful. Think happy thoughts - this seriously goes a long way! So does waking up each day and setting the intention of experiencing joy and loving the life you get to be in.
There will always be evidence before us that will show us why life is magical and incredible. There will also be a lot of things that may tell us why life is hard. We may see or hear things and choose to feel judged or misunderstood. We may even lose faith in life itself.
This part can be tricky, but with practice it doesn't have to be. Each of us gets to choose whether we grasp onto the evidence that will lead us to enjoy our days, or to struggle through them. That freedom card is pretty awesome if you ask me. So enjoy the ride, the choice is yours.
3. Love Is Always the Way
We come from love and in essence we are love. If you find yourself at a crossroads, or questioning someone's value or your own, remember to come back to seeing the love in yourself and others.
At times on our journey, we may turn our back on others or on ourselves. When we do this, we are actually turning our back on love. If we want to return to a place of feeling like all is well, it is as simple as tapping back into the love that exists within us.
Share love out and allow it back in by being who you really are. Shine your light out proudly and without expectation of anything in return - other than the amazing feeling of getting to be who you are in your truest form.
Lifetimes are short. Holding grudges and casting judgment are choices we sometimes make. But be very clear in knowing that they are choices, and they come with repercussions. Any choice that results in withholding love or choosing to not experience the full spectrum of who we are, is a choice that will cause us pain. But the upside is that we can make new choices every day we get to wake up.
If any of this sounds hard or challenging to get back to, just remember that love is not learned, we are love. Just be who you are.
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