I became a mother at the age of 36. And in my inner circle of family and friends, I was a bit late to the game. Many of my peers had started their baby making long before me. That was fine by me, as this was how I wanted my life designed. (I just wanted to give you some of the back story as I get my point across.)
Before having my baby, I had taken part in so many conversations with women about the difficulties, joys, and unconditional love that came with welcoming their child(ren) to the world. The difficulties especially stick out to me the most now.
The battle of finding and having the trust in someone to care for your child while you go to work. Struggling with the untimely school pick up in the middle of your busy work day. Juggling getting home with enough time to prepare dinner, take baths, check homework, play, and tuck in goodnight kisses. All while pursuing your passions, career, and self development.
I now have a taste of what you were going through. And had I known then, you would have received more from me. It’s never too late to recognize achievement. You did an amazing job and I am proud of you!
Just like my own experience being a mom helped me be more compassionate to mothers before me, I now wonder what else I can do to heighten my awareness on our’s journeys. I now approach things with, “they may be going through a lot I don’t know about.” With this simple sentence I have been able to go from a reaction of frustration, to a place of curiosity. It happens almost instantly. This is not giving people a “free pass” to treat me any which way. But it has helped me during situations when I can’t control what others do…which is ALWAYS!
So either way you look at it, you can use this to your advantage and evolve your emotional state. Until you are in someone else’s shoes, you cannot truly know what they are experiencing. This will get you through life at a more tranquil pace. You will spend less time upsetting yourself over what others did or didn’t do.
Let’s use the start of a new year to grow ourselves and be more of what we want to be.