Hey, you! Yes, you…the weary momma. No, not her, don’t look around. Don’t imagine that mom-friend in the school drop off line in her jammies and messy bun, looking disheveled. We know her, we feel her. Maybe some days we are her.
You. I want to talk to you.
Pause. In silence. Block out the noise in the background. Block out the stack of mail you have yet to sort, the dinner you have yet to cook, or clean up from.
Do you feel that? No?
Stop for just a second, and close your eyes. I know, this seems crazy, but stay with me for just a bit. Now, close your eyes again. Where are your shoulders? Did you take notice of how high you have your shoulders pulled, maybe even up near your ears? Can you take a slow breath…the kind that is intentional…the kind you FORCE yourself to take after you realize you’ve possibly spent hours – or days – breathing those quick shallow breathes that are a true identifier of your anxiety, your stress….your BURDEN?
Push them down…your shoulders. Take just a second and drive them toward the ground while you breathe in the air you need so desperately. In this moment, you won’t feel like you are drowning. Do you ever feel like you are drowning, or is that just me?
So, do you feel that now? My goodness momma, it is HEAVY. Life is so heavy for you. The responsibilities, the exhaustion, the fear (no, not of spiders or creepy crawlers. That’s legit, but I mean something else here). The responsibilities to your family, friends, clubs, churches, etc. The exhaustion – are you sleeping well, full nights? I know most of us don’t. But I bet you still get up in the morning drink your coffee or other caffeine of choice and give 150% of your energy to them. The fear of letting someone down, of not living up to the expectations that the world has laid on you, that you have laid on yourself? Maybe heavy isn’t a big enough word…
Heavy, huh? No wonder we carry our shoulders by our ears…the weight is almost unbearable somedays. But you have grown accustomed to it, right? Somedays, you are moving at such a pace you don’t even notice it until your head hits the pillow, because it is your normal now. Tell me, is it your normal?
I am you. I am in this with you…and I wanted to connect with you. NO – scratch that. I NEEDED to write this and I NEEDED to connect with you. Don’t you think we need a community of acceptance, sans judgement? A place where the weight of trying to lead a filter-filled (and PS. I still need to learn how to use a filter…surely that will cover a few of these fine lines, right?) Pinterest worthy life can be lifted, discussed, and Lord willing – dismissed? Maybe a way to communicate with other mommas who are in the same season of life, or with those who made it through and can share some of their wisdom? Maybe we could send a few warnings to those just starting this journey – help them learn from us? Yes/No?
If nothing else, this is my outlet. A time for me to push my shoulders down…to breathe deep and to feel normal.
The vision of “The Imperfect Moments” blossomed out of my own struggles, successes, and stalemates. Through our dedication and ambitions to be THE PERFECT MOM, we often fail to recognize the beauty in THE IMPERFECT MOMENTS…see that play on the words? Friends, literally. The phrase “the perfect mom” is actually embedded within “the imperfect moments“. Our perfection complexes (and don’t lie, do you have this too?) keep us from realizing how completely impossible, how completely broken we can become in striving for it.
I have a goal. Maybe it’s more of a hope. Maybe, just maybe, it is a plea of desperation.
Can we agree to embrace our brokeness, endure this season together, and empower ourselves and each other to leave behind perfection and live with acceptance IN our IMPERFECT MOMENTS?
I have so many of those moments – I bet you do too, and maybe sharing them with you here, in this medium, will help you feel like you are normal and not alone. Please engage and share back with me…I know you have something to teach me.