For as long as I can remember, I’ve always looked forward to “what’s next” in life. In pretty much every stage, I can look back and remember thinking life would somehow be so much better once I get through {fill in the blank} and am on to the next phase. Whether it was finishing high school, finishing cosmetology school, moving up in my positions at work… etc. And it was almost like I truly thought I’d “arrive” one day.
Once I met my husband, it honestly didn’t change. When we knew we wanted to get married, I felt that it would stop my “what’s next” mentality. We didn’t plan to have kids as quickly as we did, but before our first wedding anniversary, our daughter Henley was born.
Bringing a newborn home scared me to death. Looking back, I know I told myself every day that soon things will be easier. She’ll get older, she’ll sleep better, she’ll be able to tell me what she needs. Henley is almost 4 now and since then, we’ve brought 3 more children home. Up until very recently I would find myself longing for “what’s next”. Wishing the tired days away thinking one magical day is going to come and everything will somehow be easier.
The truth is… that day is never going to come. And now I would give anything to have my babies be babies again. Constantly telling myself to get through this phase and then I’ll be happier has done nothing but make time pass quicker. And I can look back on way too many days that I was stuck in survival mode and not cherishing this life I was given.
With a mindset that is always looking forward to the future, holidays are a challenge for me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them. I LOVE them. But every year we’ve added another child. And EVERY year I say, “next Christmas will be better.” We won’t have a baby to lug around, they’ll be a little more fun, they will actually enjoy things we buy them… blah blah blah. But I’m tired of it. This Christmas is going to be different. I’m going to be different.
This holiday season I am challenging myself to never even udder words about next Christmas. Or wishing the kids were a bit older so we could do more with them. My family is chaotic, and loud, and not perfect. They’re all little. And having one more year under our belts isn’t going to change much! And if I’ve learned anything by having 4 kids in 3 years, it’s this: babies are the easy ones. {Lord help me, toddlers are a different breed.}
So this year, join me in embracing the life you have today. Not the one you think will come next month, or next year. Don’t wish away the stages of your babies and children’s lives. And in the days to come, not just at Christmas time, cherish the beautiful life you were given.
