Today Is The Day I Hang Up My Super Hero Cape

Yep, you read right, I am hanging up my cape.

But not my super mom cape… let me explain, because I have had this blog written in my head for a few weeks now.

Ever since college I have been running at a million miles an hour. Going here, going there, and being very involved… why?  Because I loved all the things I was in and I didn’t want to miss out on anything. After all you only get to do the college thing once right? 

I loved every minute of it & college.. (Oh and to answer your question, yes I got good grades too.) I did all of this because “employers love people who can multi-task” and I was good at both multi-tasking & organizing. They went hand in hand in my book.

Since graduating, I kept myself busy before we had kids. I was always planning, organizing or doing something to keep myself busy.  I enjoyed it, but I always had to be doing something.. I’m still this way today. Not sure if it is because it’s what I have always done or if it’s because our lives are really that busy now! (Married and 2 kids later!)

I am going with the latter on this one.. My family & I lead a very busy life. My husband works full time, is going to school to be a firefighter & has responsibilities as a husband and father to our 2 adorable kids. Me, I work 2 jobs that I LOVE (I work for a biz + life coach & with Norwex) that allow me to work at home and be there for my family when I need. My kids, although they are still young (6 & 4) are usually busy with at least one activity, playing with friends, doing the normal kid stuff..

Bottom line we are very blessed in our lives & I thank God every day for these blessings.

So, WHY would I be saying that I am hanging up my cape? 

What the heck am I even talking about?

I know you are all probably thinking “What could she possibly be talking about, she has an amazing life, I would LOVE to be in that position.”

From the outside looking in, we have our shit together & on most days we do.

Here it is. Just because we are blessed doesn’t mean we have it easier than anyone else. 

Working from home is one of the most rewarding & amazing opportunities I have ever been blessed with, I wouldn't change it. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s all unicorns & rainbows 24/7.

I still have a job to do, just like anyone else & on average I do work 40+ hours a week between both jobs. I get so irked when someone looks at me and says “oh you work from home, your life must be SO easy!” or there’s those that say “You work from home, I don’t know how you do it, I would go crazy!”

Here’s the truth. 

Most people forget that even though I am home, I WORK! They assume that I am just hanging out around my house eating bon-bon’s all day long. 

When the reality is, my life is just as busy as anyone else’s.  Just because I work from home does not mean I slack off (just ask my boss or my team). I work my booty off from 6:30am when I get up until almost 11pm when I finally crash in my bed and go to sleep.

Of course there are major benefits. 

If someone has a doctor’s appointment, I can go. If someone needs to be picked up at school, I can go. If I need to get grocery shopping done when there are no kids to beg me for whatever it is they want, I can go. 

And if you are a mom that works in an office, you know that those are some MAJOR perks! Right ladies?

At the end of the day there are still tasks just like any other mom has to do. Dinner still needs to be made, the dishes done, the house clean, the laundry…. You get my drift.

What I am saying here is that I am no different than anyone else.

However, because of my nature, I feel that all those mundane tasks have to get done right away. I make them my excuse for why I don’t have time to stop and color with my kids, I don’t have time to stop and read a book, I don’t have time to relax, I don’t have time to…. You fill in the blank.

So back to the cape…

With all of this being said, a few weeks ago at church we were finishing up a series on making room for what really matters in your life, and the pastor said that you need to allow yourself time to sit in the quiet, time to reflect, to take in the glory of your life.

My first thought was “HELLO! As if I needed a sign to tell me this! But when am I going to fit THAT into my day!”

The reality of it is though, I knew I needed to. I needed to stop and take time from all those mundane household things and take time for my family, my friends & for myself. 

I needed to stop putting my daily to do list of household things before my family.

I was placing unrealistic expectations on myself.  No one else was, I WAS. I was so busy doing all of these other tasks that I was not building a life.

Not that anyone suffered except for me.. or so I thought. 

I was too busy consuming myself with all of these mundane tasks, the ones that “if I don’t do them no one else will.” That I had forgotten to spend just even 30 minutes with my husband, I had forgotten to spend even 30 minutes with my kids doing something other than eating dinner or telling them to do something, I had forgotten that I needed down time to.

You can’t work from sun up to sun down day after day without stopping to enjoy life & take a break. 

Well you can but you will be miserable, grouchy, easily irritated and no one will want to be around you.

I know this because it happened to me & it still does at times (see no one’s perfect).

So I made a plan. Now I only allow 6 things to go on my to do list (including work), I take time every morning to read for 15 minutes & journal, I have a schedule that I sit down and make every Sunday & occasionally I can sneak in a workout too.

By doing this, it allows me to not place those unrealistic expectations on myself and also allows time for the things that matter. Myself, my family & my friends. Our time on earth is short, kids grow up fast, life moves quickly. I refuse to force myself to miss it.

The reality is, the dishes can wait, the house can get cleaned later, the laundry can pile up. It will all be there tomorrow. Your friends and family might not be.

So do you want to look back and say, “I was always too busy doing chores to spend time with x” or do you want to get out and enjoy life & live in the present. It’s called that because it’s a gift. ;o)

I choose to live in the present & to enjoy life.

So this is why I say that today I hang up my cape. 

When I do this I am letting go of all the unrealistic expectations that I place on myself & that others place on me. I am letting go of placing those mundane tasks before myself, my family and my friends. I am going to stop comparing myself & my life to someone else’s highlight reel, I am going to stop pretending that everything is perfect all the time.

Life is crazy… crazy amazing & I don’t want to miss it. & sometimes when things don’t go perfect they make the best stories.

I will always wear my super mom/wife cape. Just in a different way. I will be super at being present in the moment & enjoying life to the fullest, taking in every moment & allowing myself to find joy in the midst of life’s perfect imperfections.