I’m always learning lessons in motherhood that apply in many of life’s other situations as well.
I remember a little over 2 years ago, my then only 3-year-old was preparing for her first ever ballet class. In typical Kristy fashion, I was anxious and freaking out that everything wasn’t going to be perfect, and that we would be late.
“Lily’s not eating! She needs to eat first! I suck at doing hair – she’s not cooperating. I’m not good at anything! Her tights are too small; we’ll have to stop for new ones!” The list goes on and on…
I needed a freaking chill pill like no other. Mommy was stressed and freaking out, and before you knew it, Lily was crying and saying she didn’t want to go. Way to go, mom. Ruin everything.
Needless to say, we had finally rushed out the door and got there with 7 minutes to spare. The moment I saw my daughter’s sweet face light up and watched her twirling away, everything was, in fact, perfect. I could slap myself for getting so frustrated. SO WHAT if we had been a few minutes late? SO WHAT if her hair wasn’t immaculately done up in a fancy bun? SO WHAT if Lily didn’t eat first? I survive just fine if I skip breakfast. None of that mattered in the end. All that mattered was that we went; we showed up, and Lily had a blast. Not to mention did GREAT!
I was less than proud of myself but have been working on giving myself grace. Thank you, Lily, for then and now, consistently reminding me that sometimes I need to embrace the chaos. Because the end result is worth the chaos, but not worth the stress. Maybe next time I’ll just accept the mess that sometimes comes along with running a household and doing all the things! For we know that out of the mess, comes the masterpiece. And I cannot think of a better word to describe my sweet, happy, dancing daughter. A masterpiece.