You will resolve to be more loving, more kind, more at peace, more patient, more forgiving, more grateful, and more hopeful.
You will fail and yell at the kids. At your spouse. At the damn dog.
And you will resolve again. Love
You will fail and wish the checkout lady would just hurry up. And the person behind you is an asshole, too.
And you will resolve again. Kindness
You will fail and get angry at things like a chair (for being in the path of your toe) and the rain (for visiting when you are trying to have a birthday party).
And you will resolve again. Peace
You will fail and get snippy with your mother in law. And then you detest the whole damn family (how did your husband even come from these people?)
And you will resolve again. Forgiveness
You will fail and believe that spitefulness and self-absorption will be your sidekicks until you die. And you will berate yourself and wallow in self-pity.
And you will resolve again. Patience
You will fail and become envious of everyone around you. Skinnier. Richer. Better. Happier.
You will resolve again. Gratitude
You will fail and fall to your knee in despair. People you love are sick. They are dying. So are you. Everyone is dying.
You will resolve again. Hope
Your life is a series of failures in which you can find your resolve.
Again.
I feel like you know me so well. Your motivation nails me every time.
I resolve 1000000 times a day to do all of the above! Thank you for this lovely post! (Now I just need a free spot in your class to make it easier to resolve :))
In all fairness I’ve already had the privilege and honor of taking one of your classes. I’m holding out for the day when I can sign up for 1:1 cosching. In the meantime, I read every word that I can get my hands on, listen to podcasts, and watch countless videos. Meghan Leheay, Dr. Neufield, Daniel Siegel, Tina Bryson, Alfie Kohen, Laura Markham. am relentless in my pursuit of a skill set that does not come naturally to me. My beliefs and values run counter to parents all around me. I’m trying so hard to parent from LOVE and connection and Grace. People say “You need to punish him. What is his consequence? Keep them in line.” I sigh. I am tired. I need a purple pony of my own sometimes. I need to stay the grownup with and for my kids more of the time and forgive myself and move on when I mess up. I need support to do this. I love love love your work. Thank you for helping me be more of the mom I want to be.
I’ve been following your emails since you came to Overlee. Always inspiring stuff, thank you. I need a workshop on finding patience. I seem to lose mine every day. JMW
This is it, isn’t it? This is what it’s all about. Hopefully learning and changing a bit each time we fail and resolve yet again. And, again. Thanks, Meghan!
This resonates. Many nights I resolve, after reviewing the day in my head, to try to do things differently, hopefully better, tomorrow. I figure the fact that I engage in this inner-dialogue is a good thing.
Thank you…I am consciously trying to be more of all of these things to and for myself, so that I can in turn be them for my child. We have a lot going on, with a deployment and baby #2, and a 4 year with so much to process…it feels overwhelming and daunting, but each day I try…
It’s the “rebound” resolution that is hard to get to, no?
I think I could speak to all of the above! I try my hardest to step back and resolve to be more loving, patient, kind, etc. Thanks for always making me feel like Im not alone in this!
A friend made me smile just by thinking of me and sending me this link. Your words left me tingly and at peace. I teach my students and children everyday that they MUST make mistakes to learn, and yet I don’t allow myself the same gift. Thank you for the reminder that we always have the opportunity to be new and whole again.
I love reading your insightful posts. I feel human-like I’m not alone in this parenting thing and I’m really not doing as poorly as I thought I was. Thanks.