Creating Your Ripple Effect
Anyone else feel like their sanity is hanging on by a thread at this point in the summer?? Over here at our house we are “silly-laughing-turned-uncontrollable-crying” ready for the normal routine of school! And by we, I mean me. Oh. My. Goodness. But if the past year has taught me anything, it’s that I need to take the days moment by moment, one step at a time. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Head down, heart open, pressing on.
The beauty in pushing through challenges is the growth that happens within. Gratitude flows more freely when you’ve walked through the darkness and found your way to the light. I’ve learned to appreciate the small things - Alex Rainbird playlist playing quietly while I write, picking up a good book to get lost in, spending time in the Word and journaling, zoom meetings with some truly beautiful souls, running, spending time with the kiddos one-on-one, doing anything at all with Rob. I’ve learned that these aren’t really the small things. These are the things that matter the most; that fill my soul with love, peace, and joy. These are the things I’m choosing to focus on as the last dog days of summer are dragging on slowly.
This is what investing in myself - my peace and joy - looks like. This is how I create a ripple effect...
Alex Rainbird Playlists - I found these early on in my sobriety and it has changed my life! That sounds dramatic, I know, but I sort of mean it. The music is Indie/Folk and so mellow and beautiful. If you need some more chill vibes in your life, start listening to the playlists. There are so many and I have loved every one! It makes me feel like I’m sitting in a cozy coffee shop, writing or reading, in peace. This is the one I’m listening to while I write this - Wanderlust 🌲 - An Indie/Folk/Pop Playlist | Vol. I
Books - This comes as no surprise, right? The biggest struggle here is to find the time for it! But if something is important, you make time for it. I would much rather set the example of taking time to read than scanning social media mindlessly; Lord knows I have already wasted too much time doing that! I read multiple books at a time; I pick the one that best fits my current mood at the time.
What I’m reading now -
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Goodreads
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) - Goodreads
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019, edited by Ibram X. Kendi
Writing - I am currently writing out my story. For so long I have followed what I thought was other people’s narratives of who I was supposed to be, which is why I lost myself for quite a while. I’ve realized that I never should have given anyone else that power in the first place. It was my fault for allowing it; for not believing in myself enough to feel comfortable being who God created me to be. I’m discovering that I do not need to agree with everyone in order to be accepted just as I am. I can’t control what others think of me, but I can control what I think of me and I am really loving the me I am uncovering. I am taking my power back and writing my life story as I experienced it. I am learning about who I was and who I am. I’m learning to love myself and writing is a huge part of who I am. It is ingrained in my soul. I am honoring that. I have never felt more authentically alive than I do now. This is what I’m meant for, I can feel it in my bones. Even if the only people to ever read it are my family, it will be worth it. I am doing this for me and for them.
Time in prayer and in the Word - Peace. Peace is something my anxious soul longs for. If you have anxiety, you’ll understand that peace is not something commonly felt. I find my peace in the Lord. He has held my hand and tirelessly pulled me through some big inner battles. He has never left me; it was I that put him on the backburner. He doesn’t belong there. He belongs in the center of my life. Keeping Him front and center in my life creates the most beautiful ripple effect, spreading peace, strength, and love not only within my soul, but in my little corner of the world. I am learning to honor Him by being exactly who He created me to be, by following the passions he has placed in my heart, by living out His plans for my life...all for His glory. This brings me peace.
Family time - With two of my children in high school this year, I am understanding just how fleeting time is. My oldest will have her driver’s license in less than 3 weeks!! What?! I don’t look or feel a day over 25, so how is this possible?? Yeah right, I’ve got wrinkles, age spots, and my right hip aches in the morning...I most definitely look and feel 40! ;)
This summer I have tried to spend some time alone with each of my children. Sometimes it’s as simple as not taking the whole crew along to drop Madi off at cross country practice, or bringing one kiddo along while I go to the grocery store. I cannot even put into words how much I adore my one on one time with each of my children. I wish I had more time in each day so I could do it more often. Also, have you heard about my husband? ;) He is undeniably my favorite person in this whole wide world. Spending time with him makes my heart lighter, my laugh louder, and my smile bigger. We celebrated 17 years of marriage this summer and as cliche as this may sound, it just keeps getting better! I have the biggest, dorkiest smile just writing this! He is, hands down, my biggest cheerleader and the most amazing dad. I adore him. I love him. I’m still crushing on him. I am so grateful for him.
Running - If someone had told me last year that I would be running and actually liking it, I would have laughed in their face! And now here I am, not just liking it, but loving it! I don’t run because I feel like I have to. I run because I genuinely want to. It has become a great way to invest in me and my health, both mental and physical.
If you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking with me! Now I challenge you to do some soul searching and find what brings you joy. You are worth it! You deserve to invest your time in things that make you happy. I am as busy as the next mom of 5 (or 4 or 3 or 2 or 1), but I have found that when I invest in myself, our busyness looks less like chaos and more like adventures. It looks less like things to check off our to-do list and more like opportunities to go out and be our best selves, for ourselves and all those surrounding us. Your investment in yourself will create a ripple effect of joy. I think we can all agree our world needs more joy. Go light up your corner of the world with it and watch in gratitude as you see the difference you can make.
I love you just as you are.
Just be.
❤ Lindy