You are enough. Just as you are right now. The imperfectly, wonderful you.
There is something about all the inspiration available to us from blogs, Pinterest, Instagram and any number of other places. Sometimes I personally suffer from inspiration overload and just have to take a step back. There is always a new trend to follow, isn't there? I don't think there is anything wrong with loving a new trend. I just think that when you are chasing all the latest trends and trying to do or have what everyone else does or has, you aren't being true to you and it probably isn't making you happy. You are already enough.
Keeping up with Joneses has been taken to a whole new level now that we can see every apparently, perfect moment of someone's life. Being a mom to young children has never been so exhausting now that it seems necessary to make each moment of their lives a perfectly crafted celebration. It wears me out and I don't even have littles anymore. It's ok if you don't have a fabulous outing, perfectly styled playtime or fascinating craft planned today Momma. You are enough. Let them learn to be bored. It's actually good for them.
The other day I was taking a sewing class and getting help making the pattern fit me. The instructor asked if I was planning on losing any weight to help me choose what size to make. First off, rude! But, yes, it seems I am always planning on losing weight but I informed her I was making that skirt for just who I am today. Because I am enough. That idea was hard earned for me but it is here to stay now. This doesn't mean I don't strive to be a better person every day of my life, because I do. It just means that right here today in my house that could use a cleaning, with my half finished front porch project, in my body that could stand to lose a few pounds and with my attitude that occasionally needs adjusting...I AM ENOUGH.
Be comfortable in your own shoes. Be confident in who you are. You are amazing and unique and yes maybe a little weird, but all the better! We embrace our weirdness in this house. Break some rules! Do something different than what everyone else is doing! When people roll their eyes or question your choices, ignore them! Listen to your inner self! It doesn't matter if you don't have the perfect home, family, wardrobe, job, talents, body or life. Tune out the negativity, whether it comes from the inside or the outside and tell yourself, as many times as it takes to believe it...I AM ENOUGH.
*These pictures have little to do with this post but are happy moments from our life well lived this past week.
Beautifully said Jen!! You are exactly right...sometimes there is just too much overload and we are ok right where we are today. Thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteAmazing...every word. (I especially can't wait to tell my 4 year old that it is good for her to be bored!!)
ReplyDeleteLove this Jen! It is an absolute shame that "we" are always striving to be someone else. Who cares what everyone else is doing. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch an important message.
ReplyDeleteI feel badly for kids today - the plugged in - I need it NOW - times they are growing up in are so unrealistic. I like that you said kids need to learn to be bored. I did not allow the B word to be used in our home when my kids were little. I told them boredom was their choice and that we had a home full of creative supplies.
You have created a wonderful home for your girls and are creating simple yet wonderful memories for them.
Sometimes I miss your posting more often and then you say so much in one post and I think, she nailed it again. You, my friend could write a book on simple living. I agree so much with all you've said. Savor the little things...weirdness and all.
ReplyDeleteVery nice sentiments, Jen. One of the nice things about getting older is that I find I care less and less about what other people may think about me and my choices. It really is refreshing to just be me.
ReplyDeleteis that a cute boyfriend i see? and yes ... we are enough, just as we are. and we need to stop letting others make us feel "less than." comparison is the thief of joy. someone said that, right? it's so true.
ReplyDeleteExactly! It can be overwhelming to try to have it all and do it all -- according to someone's else idea of "perfect'.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, and something I really needed to hear today. Thank you....
ReplyDeleteKudos to you! I'm printing this so I can read it over and over. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell said! (Now if I can only come up with a well said comment of my own! LOL) Thanks, as always, for your inspiration to enjoy the simple pleasures and find beauty in the every day.
ReplyDeleteYou got it, JJ! It's such a freeing outlook on life, isn't it? Had a garden tour at my house last night, and for the first time ever, I didn't care that there were weeds aplenty in my beds. There was no way I was going to knock myself out for a fleeting moment of garden perfection....or any kind of perfection, for that matter. Living life well is what matters.
ReplyDeletep.s. Miss you.
Great post. I don't have kids, nor do I have a blog. But, you're right ~ seems like everyone is always trying to outdo the other. Just be yourself.... love you and your kids. Be simple. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the photos of both your daughters.
Wonderful post. Wise advice. We definitely embrace our weirdness, uniqueness, eccentricity and our beautiful selves in this house! There is no one else like me. There is no one else like you. That's a wonderful thing.
ReplyDeletexo
Claudia
I agree. Everyone seems to jump on the same band wagon. Seems it gets a bit crowded to me!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
As always, a lovely & thoughtful post. I think of you when I write my own blog posts -- keeping it real & honest while celebrating the life I'm living.
ReplyDeleteYes!! I am soooooo not like most people. I am unorganized, messy, I Love Lucy-ish.....and that's okay! I love this post and the photo of the swing is adorable! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Your words hit my heart and made me smile. Being a single mom, there are times I feel like I'm doing it all wrong, that I could buy better things for my girl, even though she never asks for anything. Have the house prettier, the patio with more flowers, etc. It's not things that matter, it's love that matters. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I've read in a long, long time my dear. Thanks so much for this wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteLove this post!
ReplyDeleteI think most of us women struggle with this! In my weekly yoga class, my teacher sometimes ends with that affirmation ("I am enough"). My mouth fell open when I read what that sewing instructor said to you about losing weight. Wow! The nerve! Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good post, Jen! I used to love watching "What not to Wear" because the whole point of the show was to make the most of what you've got...right at this moment. I struggle with just enjoying the moment without looking ahead to what's next. Some of my best memories with our kids are when we were doing normal, boring everyday things, and the same is true about time with our grandchildren. Just listening to their sweet voices and the way their minds work melts my heart.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo in the water! It looks like the perfect lazy summer day.
Hello Jen. I am totally agreed with you. We are enough in every way, we choose what we want to be and how we live. I am Malaysian and I think that even though we live miles away in different region but we still have the same thought. Its humanity.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Mormon.. And crafty-capped! Its a thing, really. In decades past, the women of my faith were stereotyped as people who baked their own bread, made their own clothes, and were skilled in all kinds of handiwork and crafts.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's not me. I can bake bread, but a loaf from the store is only $2. Yeah I can make my own clothes but when I can get a name brand shirt off the clearance rack for $3, why should I? And when it comes to handiwork and crafts I want would rather use a staple gun than a needle!
As the Mormon population has grown outside of the u.s and become more diverse, that stereo type has faded dramatically! Which is a good thing for me, lol.
Because I am enough.
Wonderful post! I agree with everything you said. Thanks you, as I needed to hear this today!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right on, Jen! I was just telling my husband the other day that I have a love/hate relationship with some of the house blogs I read. I love them because their homes are gorgeous. Their homes are everything I want my house to be, in fact dream my house to be. But their houses are full of designer furniture, rugs, antiques, marble and soapstone, etc. They are "dream" homes". We can't afford to remodel our whole house so that it is a "dream" house, or buy only the most expensive furniture, lighting, materials, etc. I'm usually content with my sweet little old house. And I usually look around and think how pretty it is. But when I read "those blogs", I can't help but feel discontent. I want more. That is why I love your blog, Jen. You are so "real". I love your home, your sweet little family, and the fact that you are not payed by companies to advertise their furniture or remodel your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this post, Jen. And thanks for being "real", and for reminding us all that it is okay to be "real", too. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Beth.
Lovely, true words, well written. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post today. Very uplifting and much needed by me, and many other people.
ReplyDeleteLove your words (and actions) Jen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this - I needed it today!
ReplyDeleteI so needed this...thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm surrounded with such intense stress that I've lost my creativity completely. I've beat myself up about it, watching the time blast on while my kids careen towards adulthood, and I cringe that I haven't photographed enough, videoed enough, documented enough, cherished enough. It's not retrievable, not fixable, no re-dos. Those times and the memories created must be enough. I, as most moms do, regret the times I said I was too busy. I look at the Pinterest pages and could just die with grief that these ideas were not around when my teens were little. What a shame! But...one could go crazy with guilt. So, each day is new, right? Right. I keep reassuring myself of that fact and hope it is enough.
ReplyDeleteThis came right on time for me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you...you are also enough.
ReplyDeleteThoughtful words of kindness, spreading joy, makes my heart happy.
As always, your post is spot on! I find that as I near 48, I am much more content with myself, and what I have/do. I have become better (not perfect) at letting some weeds grow in the garden, and the floor doesn't need to be spotless every day. The time with my family (which is nearly grown and out of the house) is far more important. Oh, I have many undone projects that I'd like to complete, but I'm not beating myself up over them. . .their time will come, they will be completed and also with the knowledge that there will always be "something" that I'd like to have/do. Will life go on if I don't? Absolutely. This "enough" way of life leads to much more inner contentment which of course affects outward attitudes and I believe that a content (not complacent) heart equals a happy heart and makes you so much more enjoyable to be around : ) It's grows full circle. Wish I had caught on long ago!!
ReplyDeleteSuch positive words and important ones to hear because i think we are overloaded with the thought that everyone else's life is perfect and we might be comparing ourselves too much to everything we see on the internet. I know i always need to step back and think of what feels right for me, so thank you for the encouraging words!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I too find that often times after spending some time visiting blogs I feel a bit down...down that I do not attend wonderful parties, that my kids are not beautifully dressed everyday and so on. I need to remind myself that I am ok with who I am and where I am.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder.
one of the many reasons i love your blog! you write and publish the things that we all think, but verbalized positively, beautifully and with an inspiring, yet practical message. thank you jenn!
ReplyDeletethis is all so good, jen!
ReplyDeleteA lovely inspirational post, beautifully written! Thank so much for this very true words.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteI have been struggling with this idea for years. Thank you for this open and positive post.
ReplyDeleteJen, I am going to bookmark this post and keep it handy to pass along to people who come along with this problem. I've actually come to loathe the word "trends" and, even more, the word "lifestyle." Keep on keeping it simple!
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes!
ReplyDeleteawesome pos tand so very true!!!!!
ReplyDeleteRight on, sister!
ReplyDeleteGreat message! Thank you for sharing this. I am a new follower to your blog. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteKris
Absolutely!!
ReplyDeleteYou stated so well....the things I know and have said before, we never give ourselves credit for what we have done, can do, will do. I loved what you said about the sewing teacher...what nerve. But you were the better person and let it go. Blessings, xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written and so true! So glad my sister had a link to this from her blog.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteI have been noticing some of the blogs I read are full of advertisements lately. They even take over the entire screen for a few seconds! It has become a business for so many and about money. That is all fine, but I hate to have advertisers shoving things in my face like that! I agree that you must step away from this once in a while. You can see on different blogs everyone doing the same thing with their decorating and home paint colors etc. Make your home the way you want it to be and what is comfortable for your family. Do not spend all your time working on your home and ignoring your family. They are what matters!
Blessings
Thank you - always need a reminder!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said ~
ReplyDelete