That Which You Accept You Choose

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/architecture-black-and-white-challenge-chance-277593/

As you know I like to relate personal experiences to you to use as examples. I do this for two reasons.

1. It makes the conversation less hypothetical and theoretical and

2. I feel that it gives a greater comprehension that you are not alone.

In today's society that is highly influenced by social media, influencer, and celebrity worship it is extremely easy to fall into the trap of believing that everyone else's life is "perfect" and that you are the only one dealing with the stress of life. It's easy to start believing that everyone else has these perfect beautiful lives and you must be doing something "wrong" because you cannot see your life reflected in the media images you are seeing. The images you are seeing are false. No one has a perfect life. No one is always beautiful, has a perfectly kept house, has no issues juggling work life balance, have thriving careers and perfect families. No one.

That which you accept you choose. If you accept that everyone else is doing it "right" and you are doing it "wrong" you choose to believe it and you choose to feel inadequate. As I continue to long for days in my garden I recall a weekend that perfectly exemplifies this mindset. That weekend I chose to not be perfect.

My to-do list for the weekend included - Weeding and deadheading the landscaping, weeding the garden, harvesting the broccoli and cabbage in the garden, pruning the herb garden, fertilizing everything including the houseplants (we have more than I care to count), menu planning for the week, grocery shopping for the week, cleaning the house including mopping, story boarding and filming the next video of our series, catching up on laundry, planning and preparing Sunday dinner for my boys who visit us for dinner every Sunday, complete a hive inspection on our honey bee hive, and a ton of other things that would keep me on track for that hypothetical perfect life. Our weeks are filled with work and our weekends are filled with chores. What my body, mind, and heart needed was a break as did my husband.

What we did that weekend - Slept in late on Saturday. This is a huge deal for us. We are not late sleepers. Leisurely took the time to shower and dress. I took extra time to pamper myself with some home spa treatments. Went to brunch at a local restaurant where we enjoyed some wonderful food. Strolled aimlessly around the shopping complex where the restaurant is located. Stopped my husband from weeding the landscaping there by reminding him he doesn't get paid to do that here. He is a horticulturist at a premiere botanical garden in our area. It's instinctual for him to maintain healthy plant beds. Picked up a few new home scents to match the summer season. I'm a big proponent of aromatherapy. Came home and watched a movie/documentary that we have wanted to watch for months. Slept in again the next morning, decided on an easy quick meal for Sunday dinner and asked the kids to make it a pot luck with them bringing the sides. straightened the house but didn't deep clean it, ignored the laundry, it will hold for another day, and spent the afternoon playing board games and Uno Attack with the family.

I did not accept that I had to complete everything or anything on our to do list to have a fulfilling, complete weekend and feel accomplished. I chose to give myself a break and be happy and relaxed. I encourage you to accept and choose you and your mental health and wellness.

-A