Sharing today ONE piece of advice I’m continuing to learn as a mom and wife – we will thrive most when we can adapt to new seasons. Now, I share this ONLY because I’m also the WORST at it, not b/c I’m perfect at it. 😉 I LOVE order, routine, and schedules. Pre-kids I had a really pretty picture of what I thought life would look like balancing work and home and my own healthy habits/routines. And then I was hit with reality. I didn’t work out a whole lot the first year of Avery’s life b/c I didn’t know how to be FLEXIBLE and ADAPT to my new season. I had one thing in my head of how working out should look and it was not sustainable in my new life, so I didn’t do it at all.
Finally, THIRTEEN years later, I’ve been doing a better job of learning how to adapt in new seasons. Here’s the hard part: when we’ve experienced a routine/schedule that works so well, it can be HARD to let it go. I used to ALWAYS get up at 5 am. This was my routine for years. I’d spend time in the Word. I’d work out. And then I’d get ready for my day. I even managed to re-establish this routine after kid #4 and keep it up for a few more years.
But I’ve been slowly entering the season of bigger kids. And for those of you who aren’t there yet, big kids run a different schedule. They stay up later. Not only that, but they don’t like to open their mouths until RIIIIGHT about your bedtime. Then suddenly they want to talk and tell you everything (ok my kids do at least, that might not be true of all kids though ;)) and you have to choose between listening, going to bed so you can get your workout in, or trying to do both and not getting enough sleep.
I grieved my changing morning routine. It was HARD to give this up b/c it has worked so well for so long. But if I wanted to be present when my kids are open to sharing (this can’t be forced, y’all!), I needed to be the one to adjust.
I’m still working on it, but we are finding some new rhythms. Unfortunately, it’s not the same every day which would be so nice and tidy in my world but not feasible in real life at this time. 😉 But if I would have stayed stuck to my perfect routine, I would have been resentful of my kids or frustrated with myself. By being willing to accept that this is a new season and being willing to adapt to it, I realized that I can find new solutions that will still help me accomplish my goals.
It’s not exactly a win-win, but it’s a solution that works. I might not be killing it every day at the gym, but someday I’ll have a season where I can put more time in if that’s what I choose to do.
What’s your new season? And how have you had to adapt to it? I’d love to hear b/c it’s such an encouragement to other women who are right there with you!
