I told myself I wanted to wake early this morning. I wasn’t sure what I’d do – knit or pack or email. I just knew I’d want some quiet time before the rush that is leaving. I spent the time online, gloriously alone in a still house but finding treasures and kindred spirits.
Sharing: : to partake of, use, experience, occupy, or enjoy with others
Taking Time for You – A little brainstorming to remind you that being good to yourself comes in all sorts of durations, even the 30 second kind.
___
___
Joy Rebellion – Great title. Because joy is a primal state, beyond reason and all the rules that say, “No.”
Mission Monday: Doing it Imperfectly Fabulous thought. Marvelous thought. Reveling in imperfection.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I put myself in counseling to deal with my perfectionism on the theory that a perfectionist mother is not a healthy mother. It was an eye-opening process. I’m not more in control when things are perfect, I’m not more lovable when things are just so, I’m not safe when things are perfect. Life is messy and so am I. And out of that comes creativity, happiness, personality…
Excerpt that seems so appropriate as I head out to camp: “Glorious Imperfection means that doing it badly is better than not doing it at all….We live in one of those outdoors-y, rafting, climbing, “my extreme outdoor sport beat up your extreme outdoor sport” regions. We were intimidated!” (I totally get that intimidation with outdoor people. What’s up with that? Why can’t we all just be happy that everyone is outside and being happy in their own way?) But the article is so much more than just camping. It’s about giving ourselves permission to be imperfect in all aspects of our lives.
___
And speaking of joy: “A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe.”
~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The journal page that accompanies this quote is a just-so mix of calmness and exhuberance. Inspiring me to wish I had more time to play with scissors and glue this morning. Art Journal Collection v1.2 at Daisy Yellow.
It has been joy to share with you this morning.
Handmade Homeschool 
Thank you for your kind words, I really needed those words today. Your post is so thoughtful and eloquent, I will be checking out the links. Enjoy your trip and be safe… Tammy
Thank YOU for sharing with all of us! I love your blog and love all your inspirational words/photos/ideas. when I find myself needing some color or inspiration in my creative life I stop over here and receive it from you. Thank you for blogging! I hope you have a wonderful. restful vacation with your family!
Thanks for the reminder. I love your blog for that… you consistently remind me of where I want to be. I am trying so hard not to be a perfectionist, that I can’t even get that perfect.. argh… so I love when I am able to just let go and be messy.
I went to a psychiatrist in the few months before and after the birth of my first child as a caution against postpartum depression which runs in my family and we didn’t want to be caught off-guard by. Thank gawd we didn’t have to deal with that, but I did learn so much in my time with that amazing psychiatrist.
One of the things the psychiatrist told me was that having a ‘perfect parent’ would be incredibly damaging for a child, and not at all a blessing. That child would never be able to live up to their parents, would not see how to handle failure and mistakes, would not learn forgiveness and tolerance, would not learn pride in overcoming personal trials, and on and on. That has always stuck with me.
Funny, one of the things that I took away from that was apologizing to my children when I screwed up. My in-laws are horrified every time they hear me apologize to my children because “you can’t show them that parents mess up.” So many different ways to raise children…
” I’m not more in control when things are perfect, I’m not more lovable when things are just so, I’m not safe when things are perfect. Life is messy and so am I.”
this is powerful and it’s something I keep learning over and over again.
thank you so much for sharing. I think it’s so brave that you choose such proactive healing when you became a mother.