Messy. Beautiful. Life.


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Messy. Beautiful. Life.

   Couldn't be described more perfectly in those 3 little words. Our messy and beautiful are now 5 and 8 and my heart grows every day right along with them. Life. Is. Crazy. I don't have to tell you all that, you already know. Life is messy. Every day. Mornings are messy. Sleep is messy. Sibling rivalry is messy. Emotions are messy. Dinner is messy. Bedtimes are messy. Pets are messy.  Everything in between is messy. And at the top of it all, is us. We are running it all. Well, we think we are.  We’re trying to anyway. And it’s still very, very messy. So incredibly beautiful though. It’s life.

I came to the realization recently. Like, last week. That I am the tone setter for the day. When I stated this fact so matter of factly to my best friend in the whole wide world, he looked at me blankly. Confused even. Which sometimes happens a lot. But he followed it up with… “You just came to this realization today?”
 
  Yes, at 38 years old, I’ve just come to this realization today. Well, I mean I’ve always noticed it. I’ve been aware of it.  And being a Mom and a teacher (they go hand in hand really) I SET THE TONE FOR THE DAY. I do. Me. Little old me. That my friends, is a big responsibility.  That’s a lot of pressure. BUT! I also know that we can do big things. We can do hard things. We can work hard under pressure. And this is how we can do it…

We can surround ourselves with the beauty in life. The people that matter most. The things that matter most. There will always be messy. But push it aside and trudge on through and focus on what’s good. What makes us smile. What makes us stronger. What makes us laugh. What makes this one life beautiful. The key word there is ONE. One life. That’s all we get. It’s all there is. Unless you guys know something I don't.  So set the tone. Go ahead and set it. It's how you go about it that matters. It’s not going to be easy. So don’t think that. Because it’s not. Not even a little bit. But just remember you’re setting the tone. You are. You. Yes, you. And you too.

And what does really matter to you? Think about it. 
To me, it's these 2 really big, little people. To set the tone for them to grow. To grow in a world that is not always filled with as much beauty as it is messy, but to teach them how to navigate through it. To find the beauty. To search for the good. To seek out people who do the same. 
It’s my job, it’s our job. It takes a village. A village of kindness, compassion, strength, gratitude, selflessness, bravery, camaraderie and positivity. Those are the important things in life. 

And it’s a BIG job. It’s a tough job. The hardest, messiest job you'll ever have. But so worth it. 
So. Very. Worth. It. When you see your teachings come back to you. And you will. Always. So look for it. Embrace the messy. Let it go. But always look for the beauty. It's what matters most. And set the tone.