For two years, I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I posted “authentically” in various online spaces. I hosted a podcast. I wrote for other blogs. I did all of those things, and it was just … not me. Bits and pieces of it were. But the stuff that drained me was not balancing the stuff that invigorated me.
I am Democrat. You are Republican. Peace depends on me.
I am a woman, you are not; peace depends on me.
I am a Christian, you are not; peace depends on me.
In a recent Blue Bloods episode, Danny reveals a family pact the adults all made the day their children were born: We made the choice to bring you into the world. You didn't make the choice, we did. So a bargain was struck that day that you owe us nothing and we owe you everything.
He's right. We owe our children everything. …
Our Life Story is made up in fractions. However, since we forgot everything we learned in third grade math I think sometimes we get stuck and think that PART of our story is going to end up being our WHOLE story. But that's not the case. Basic math tells us that PARTS and WHOLES are very different, and that one piece does not define the whole pie.
Did I look up enough? Or did I spend my day looking down at a screen? My generation of parents have "screen time" in their vocabulary, which pertains to the amount of time children spend in front of a screen. But what about the parents' screen time? Studies have shown that kids feel sad, ignored and dismissed when their parents are on their phone too much.
It would be really great--and it would make this counselor heart so very happy--if we could have a universal, required-for-adulthood training on boundaries.
You know who shouldn't have to learn how to listen? Grown-ups. We should be in control of ourselves enough to listen, respect, and engage with one another in an appropriate manner. But since we're not a perfect people, that is not always the case.
I think we're not meant to be people who give up. We're not meant to lie down and let the darkness swallow us. I think we're meant to rise up, to fight back, to give it everything we've got even when it's harder than it's ever been.
