Fresh perspective

Maybe it was the sunshine, but this weekend I felt myself stepping in to a new realm of thinking.  A new way of seeing myself and my life.

I was standing in my kitchen on Sunday evening feeling extremely overwhelmed.  Thanks to the great creative projects in process and new opportunities, my house looked like a war zone.  Small piles of clothes outside the laundry room, stacks of dishes.

Immediately my mind went to a familiar place of cutting myself down for failing to achieve the "perfect family" status every one covets.  You know the-kids look/act perfect, house is always tidy, no laundry piles, no cracker crumbs in the car family we all know (or think we know).  For the most part I have let go of this picture of myself.  Or so I think.  I must admit sometimes this picture I have causes me to be unbalanced or to be not-so-nice when I am feeling overwhelmed.

As I was standing there on Sunday, feeling like a failure, I made a decision to let it go (again).  I reminded myself (again) that just like everything in life, what things look like are of the least importance, and so it is with a family too.

There's a lot to be said about responsibility, but in this moment I decided to laugh at myself instead of scolding.  I chose to remember that it's the attitude of a family-the spirit of a family that matters.  What are we going to do when we feel overwhelmed?  How are we going to face failure?  How would I want my daughters to respond to hard things in their lives?

So, I cranked up some music, the kids danced and I made dinner amongst the stacks of dishes.  We laughed about our mess and set about doing what we could about it.  I realized that tomorrow is a new day.  It's always a new day.  Perfection is a lie.