when in doubt- call mom

Home is where your mom is – this is one of my favorite sayings, because it is so true.  This past weekend I flew home for Mother’s Day; not just to celebrate the day with my mom, but also because I needed my mom.  As I have gotten older I have found that some things just won’t get better unless you talk it out with your mom.  Being an adult doesn’t mean that you have everything figured out in your life, it means that you know what you value and are living your life in a way that doesn’t compromise what you believe in; that is a lesson that I learned over the past few weeks.

One of my favorite things to do is hang out with my family, and I have grown to appreciate it even more now that I can’t see my family every day.  For mother’s day my family went on a picnic and I laughed so hard; whenever we get together we are usually laughing so hard that one of us starts crying and this weekend was no different. Not only did we spent a lot of time laughing, but mom had just seen a cool exercise on finding what you value, so she had us all sit down and think about the things that we truly value.

It was amazing to hear what my family put down as what they value, and how we all had similar values, not surprising coming from the same family.  This was really hard for me because I came to realize that I was currently not living my in a way the supports my values.  I had to take some time to look at my life and see what I wanted to do to re-align my life in a way that is true to what I value.

After spending some time at home and being able to be with people who love me, I was able to figure a few things out.  I learned that I truly value volunteering and I need to find a way to add that into my life here in Chicago.  I also remembered what it feels like to be around people who are fun and like to laugh, so I am in the process of finding some new activities that will make feel more connected to my surrounding.

It may have only been a 48 hour trip home, but it was very wonderful. I got to talk to my mom and she helped me figure out what I wanted to do.   It doesn’t matter how old I get, how many books I read, how much schooling I have; my mom is always to help me out and talk me in off the ledge.

Over the last week I have really come to realize what I find important; and that I am in control of what is going on in my life – I have decided to write my story.  Just like everyone else, I have times when I my story is at a standstill.  I had stop writing my story, I was going through the motions but not putting any investment into what I wanted my story to be.  I am lucky to know what I need to do in order to “re-set” my thinking – I just need to spend some time at home and talk with my mom.

Today’s real lesson- know what your re-set button is.  Some people just need to take a nap, other need a vacation, I need my mom.  Once you know what your re-set button is you have the power to start writing your story again, in the way that you intended.  Don’t let life get you down, take a breath, hit the re-set button and when in doubt; call mom.

You have it all & Confidence,

Lyndsay

Fairy Tales

“Let the wild rumpus begin” is a phrase that all kids under the age of thirty, or parents who have kids under thirty have heard before.   This is just one of many phrases that stick out to me when I think about books I have read or movies I have seen over the years.  I love movies, and I have a special spot in my heart for children’s movies.  My family has told me that I have the same taste in moves as many pre-school aged children; and I have learned to longer take offence to that, but to embrace it.

I have talked before about how we are in charge of writing our own stories; but this can get complicated.  You can think you are writing your story one way and then you get thrown a curve ball, or the chapter you are writing doesn’t turn out the way you had wanted… but this doesn’t happen in children’s movies.  When I watch a Disney movie, I know who the bad guy is, I know that it will end with a happily ever after, I know that the princess will find true love and the bad guy will get what he has coming… this isn’t as easy in real life.

The ability to escape my own reality for a few hours and become amerced in a story is a wonderful feeling.  I was at a movie last night that wasn’t a kid’s movie but it still had the same aspects- I knew who the bad guy was, I knew who the good guys were, and I knew that they were going to save the day. Yes the movie had some plot turns, but I was able to sit in the theater and forget about the stress going on in my life.  For two plus hours I was able to watch the good guys win, and sometimes in reality the good guy doesn’t always win.

As we grow older it tends to be frowned upon to enjoy fairytales and movies for kids- but a movie came out this past weekend that is pretty much a fairy tale for adults, and it did VERY well at the box office.  I love my ability to still enjoy kids movies, that I am still able to find the joy that are in these pictures and that I haven’t let my life experiences jade me from enjoying the more simple things in life.  I still get excited when a new Disney movie comes out, and if it is a princess movie- I pretty much start a countdown until the release date.

Some people may see my love children’s movies as naive and immature, but I see it as a success.  I was able to grow up, have my heart broken, worked in the “real world”, lived with people, lived by myself – I was able to become an adult and I am still able to see the good in the world.  There are days when I know that the only think that will make my day better is to watch “The Princess Bride.” I have found a way to allow myself to process my own story that is in a non-destructive way, that doesn’t hurt me or anyone else.

We all have our own ways of writing our stories, and processing what is happening in our story.  I challenge you to take a step away from your story occasionally, and let your mind enjoy a different story for a few hours – I think you will be surprised what may learn in that short period of time.  I know I have watched movies before and come up with new ideas about how I wanted to write my story, or how to deal with a certain chapter that wasn’t going the way I wanted.

Enjoy writing your own story, but don’t forget to allow some whimsy into your story- because what we are all really looking for is the “happily ever after.”

You have it all & Confidence,

Lyndsay

Take a week

Over the past few weeks I have had a lot of random events happen in my life.   I went to Milwaukee for work, decided to take a random road trip home, started to actually work, met some new people, and allowed my brain to get clogged with scary thoughts.  While all of these events are wonderful, I needed some time to process; so I took a break and it seemed to work.  I think that taking a week away from writing allowed me to figure out some things for myself which had brought me back to writing and sharing my thoughts with those of you who are kind enough to take time from your day to see what I have to say.

Prior to last week, I thought that taking a break from writing would mean that I would never write again, or that no one would read what I had to say anymore… that I have to be consistent to be effective.  I am not sure how I came to having this idea but over the last week I have learned how false this idea is.  Even in the corporate world people are allowed to take a vacation, schools take a vacation, so why wasn’t I allowing myself to give my brain a vacation?

When was the last time you allowed your brain to take a week off from something that stresses you out; not from work, or house work, or your crazy yet adorable kids – but the inner thoughts that you struggle with?  I am not going to lie, taking a week of was really hard for me, and I spent a lot of the time reminding myself why I was taking time off.  With all the new changes that have been made in my life I had not really allowed myself the time to fully process what was going on, and was I happy with what was happening? I had moved and been on the go ever since.  I started working and learning my new job had made me lose focus on the other messages that I wanted to share with you.

Taking a week off allowed me to process, I didn’t come to a place of enlightenment, I haven’t found a new outlook on life… but I know I am in a better place this week than I was two weeks ago.  While I was lying in bed yesterday morning I actually felt a weight being lifted off of me. It was a crazy feeling, almost felt like I was on a roller coaster.  I rolled over and began to think about what was going and what was I so worried about that I was finally able to release?  I then started to wonder if it mattered; did I have to know what was able to release in order for the feeling I just had to be real? I decided that I didn’t have to know what I let go of, I just have to recognize that I was able to release something from my life that have being weighing me down.

Being able to let go of whatever is holding you down is very hard. I don’t know how I did it, but I believe taking a week to just process what was going on around me helped. Having a weight lifted off my shoulders showed me that taking time to process worked, I am still not sure what that weight was- but I feel better. I challenge you to let you brain take some time to process what is going on in the world around you- let it take a vacation.  It may not be as awesome as spending a week at the beach, but it may be just as rewarding.

You have it all & Confidence,

Lyndsay