Daylight savings time is much easier for our household in the spring than in the fall. Pre-motherhood I hated this time of year; I lost an hour of sleep. But this year, I can't wait for my kids to wake up at 7:30am, according to the clock, instead of 6:30am. Yes, these few days of transition are a bit painful because I am still losing that hour of sleep, but it will be well worth it for the next six months!
Isn't that how motherhood is? Pregnancy is incredible in a lot of ways, but also very challenging. You know the charley horses, heartburn, backaches, body aches, and of course labor itself. It is painful, but totally worth it. Then once you have that precious little baby, it is the same story again. As a mother, I have cried, been exhausted, embarrassed, discouraged, lost, and at times hopeless. But still, I love being a mother and I love my children so much it hurts sometimes.
So, as I realized it was daylight savings this Sunday, I immediately thought about how that would affect me. When I was pregnant, I mostly thought about me and the baby inside me. As a mother, I think about what kind of mother I am and what others are thinking about my motherhood skills (or lack of skills). Are you seeing the trend here? It's about ME. I was reading a fantastic book and one of the things it mentioned was to teach your kids that life is not about them. It does not revolve around them. Life is bigger than them. And life is bigger than me. I also think it is bigger than me being a mother.
One day my kids will leave the house, and though I will always be their mother, I will not always be their number one gal. Being a mother is my career now and my great love. But it does not define all that I am or will be. I want to be a good friend who listens carefully and spends enough time with my friends to know how to encourage them. I want to know my neighbors by name and know how my family can serve them. I want to open my home to those who could use a home cooked meal and not worry that the house is not perfectly picked up. I want to learn how to be a better friend to my husband. …and on it goes…
In another 20 or 30 years, Lord willing, I will still be alive and will most likely be dreading the spring daylight savings because I will not have these little balls of energy bouncing in their rooms first thing in the morning. I hope I can look at the years past and reflect on how I have spent my time, who I have invested in, and that I have understood more and more that the world is not about Sarah. I want to have utilized each day for something bigger than me.
