Daily Reminders

Anyone who knows me knows I have been working on a book for over a year now. Progress has been slow to non-existent. I was under the false delusion that I would have all the time in the world to write during my 12-week maternity leave, but boy was I wrong. The truth is I hardly wrote at all during that time, or after.

There's too much to learn and adjust to after pregnancy. Not to mention figuring out the whole new mom thing. Every moment I had was devoted to bonding with my daughter and recovering from my over 27-hour labor. Physically and mentally I was just not prepared to write a grocery list let alone a book.

When I went back to work the mom guilt was real. To this day I still have a hard time leaving Shelby with a sitter if there's something I need to do that can't involve her. I can count on one hand, with fingers left over, the number of times I have left Shelby with a sitter excluding days that I need to go to work. If I'm not working, she's with me, and writing with a little running around and finding things to put in her mouth, is nearly impossible.  

When Shelby was an infant, it was difficult to get household chores completed because she was either eating or wanted to be held, constantly. Then she got a little older, and it became a game of chase as she was always crawling towards outlets or pulling on electrical cords. Now she's a full blown toddler and can't be left alone for even a second because she's nosy and will get into any and all of the nooks and crannies, even the ones I think are super secure.

Don't get me wrong the book is still in the works, it's going to happen eventually, but right now I needed to find a more manageable way to commit to writing so, I plan to make at least one blog post a week. It's good for me to write, it keeps me sane, and it's one of the only stress releasers I have. A stressed mommy isn't good for anyone,  especially not for daddy.

To help remind me to slow down, enjoy the moment, and focus on whats important to me, I bought these sweet little bracelets from Wegmans. They're by a company called Natural Life, and they're super simple. I probably could have made them myself but again, who has the time?

I bought two, one with a turtle charm and the other a key. The turtle reminds me to slow down, to take things slowly, and to cherish the moment I'm in. The key reminds me to always look for new opportunities because nothing is impossible, and doors are opening all the time. I may not be following my ideal path for my writing dreams, but I refuse to give up.

I also added a namesake bracelet I found at the Hallmark store with Shelby's name, of course. It serves as an even bigger reminder of why I do all I do and to push myself to do more even when I think I can't.

Life is too short as it is and most of us rush through our days like we don't all have an expiration date. As the expression goes; "Enjoy life today because yesterday is gone and tomorrow is never promised." (unknown)