a certain kind of morning

It's a taking five deep breaths in the midst of the fog kind of morning.

A Hall & Oats followed by The Cars on the "Oldies" station kind of morning.

The sort of morning where you drop your daughter off at preschool and see her run up to her teacher and her friends and tell them all about her weekend and you think about how every single person in her life is shaping her in the best kinds of ways.

The sort of morning where you realize there isn't a lot of space for the guilt when you really pay attention.

The sort of morning where you make the choice to feel compassion toward the person driving a car full of bumper stickers that are everything you are not that just pulled out in front of you causing you to quickly brake.

It's that kind of morning.

The kind where you feel the blessings deep into your bones when you think about the work you get to share with the world.

Where you stand in the intersection of all that you know and all that is possible and treat yourself to a chai tea latte + chocolate croissant.

Where you know you have to pause to write it all down so you can remind yourself that these mornings exist on those days when nothing seems to go right.

Yes.

It is exactly that kind of morning.

give yourself this gift.

the simple moments

I’m letting the simple moments surround me right now. 

The finding half and half in the back of the fridge when you ran out of soy creamer moments. The need for vitamin C and remembering the orange in the bowl on the kitchen table moments. The still growing on the pot on the counter Thanksgiving herbs inside a “why not add prosciutto and Gouda” omelet that somehow all stayed together and looks like it was made at a Mother’s Day brunch years ago moments. The curling up with a good escapism sort of book and just leaning into rest moments. The laughter in the most unexpected stories moments. The sitting as a family and reading winter and holiday books with hot cocoa by the tree moments.

I’m letting the exhale of “yes, this” found in these moments lead me right now. 

Because inside there are moments of overwhelm when I realize I still have gifts to buy. Because inside I’m having moments of grief. Because inside there is a joy blooming each time I see my daughter’s face when she gets home from school and runs to look at the Christmas tree.

And the simple moments help me find my footing again. The daily practice of just noticing gratitude and how things went just right and the opening up toward beauty light my path even when I forget to bring a flashlight.

If you are feeling a bit lost or in the overwhelm or just needing a hug, let the simple moments...the simple pleasures...the “yes, this” moments guide you.

A prompt: Consider capturing some simple moments with your camera and tagging them with #yestothismoment so we can find one another on Instagram and Twitter (or even sharing them over on my Facebook page). We can light the path together.

***

I'm so grateful for companions on this journey and for those of you saying "yes" alongside me. This post above was part of my "adventures in creative self-care" newsletter that I sent out last, and I thought you might want to join in and pause to find the simple moments in your day. (And if you'd like to receive reminders like this in your inbox, you can sign up here.)

yes, even this

This week has held sadness right next to joy. It has held laughter and disappointment. It has held conversations that open one's heart just a little more alongside unexpected grief. 

And today, we cook. And we feast together. And we nap. And we laugh. And we miss deeply. And we remember.

Through it all, I keep feeling this infinite yes. Even in the moments with tears. Even in the moments of toddler exhaustion. Even in the moments of unstoppable giggles. Even in the moments before coffee. 

Especially in the moments cooking side by side. Especially in the moments where Ellie Jane runs to her grandparents. Especially in the moments where deep breaths are remembered. Especially in the moments where gratitude arrives unexpectedly.

I just keep thinking: 

Yes, even this.

That is my prayer today.

(for you, for me)

Yes, even this.

****

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yes, this.

Tonight, I'm thinking about the "yes" moments I've been collecting over the last week or so...the moments that gently pushed me to be really present and notice the beauty in the midst of the crazy and the hard and the real.

When Ellie Jane came out of her bedroom for about the tenth time after she went to “bed” to tell me one more thing but instead curled up on my lap for a few minutes and put her hand on mine, and I made the choice to just be right here instead of worrying about what tomorrow might bring if she didn’t get enough sleep.

Yes, this.

When I stuck with it even though I wanted to run. 

Yes, this.

When I realized he needed a hug more than he needed me to tell him how to do it right.

Yes, this.

When I paused to just listen to the rain fall on the roof instead of checking my email, then Facebook, then Instagram for the hundredth time. 

Yes, this.

When I picked up the phone and burst into tears as the words tumbled out and she said, "You aren't alone."

Yes, this. 

When I decided to make biscuits for breakfast even though I was the only one home (and I ate four of them).

Yes, this.

When I had an upside-down sort of day but remembered what I know. And what I know is Barbra Streisand's Broadway album, a scarf made with love by my mom, lipstick + mascara, and reaching out to Jon to say, "Can you come home soon?" all help me feel loved and not alone.

Yes, this.

When the deep missing caught me by surprise, and I closed my eyes to try to remember every detail of the guest room in my grandmother's house and suddenly I heard her voice but then it was gone and I wondered if I'll ever remember how it sounded when she'd say my name.

Yes, this.

When I let myself really hear you say, "You really are a good mom." And I tucked our conversation in my pocket to pull out on those days when I forget.

Yes, this.

What "yes" moments are you collecting over in your corner? Give yourself the gift of noticing.

*****

Water Your Soul is an invitation to see the beauty and the mess and making the choice to say "yes" to all of it (even on the days that feels impossible). 

It's about realizing you are not alone in feeling whatever this time of year brings up for you.

It's about making simple moves in December that will help take away from the chaos, not add to it.

It's about being right here giving yourself the gift of replenishing you even as you also give to others.

We begin gathering in our private Facebook space this Wednesday. In that space, we'll share stories, connect, and just be present with one another. We "officially" begin our time together December 1.

Click here to learn more and join us.

Please email me any questions you have.