Enough

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I worry that I’m not doing enough.

I have an incredible baby book for Grayson where I have documented so many tiny details of his first year. But I still worry. Did I document enough? Did I take enough pictures? Enough videos? Did I keep enough?

Why is it that we so often feel that we aren’t doing enough?

We aren’t working hard enough. We aren’t successful enough. We aren’t giving our children enough attention. We aren’t giving our partner or spouse enough of ourselves. We aren’t giving enough to our family and friends. We aren’t giving enough to ourselves.

Who decides how much is enough? Why is it that enough seems like an unattainable marker of a successful life? Do you ever hear anyone say, “I give 100% to every area of my life and I am so proud of myself.” No. We never hear that because we don’t think like that. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we all stopped beating ourselves up for the areas we feel we are lacking and instead just applauded ourselves for doing our best, for trying our hardest, for giving it our all? Why don’t we flip the script and applaud all of our extraordinary efforts?

No, I will never be as perfect as some of the women I see on Instagram with their perfectly “pinnable” lives. I will never throw a birthday party that could be featured in Martha Stewart LIVING. I will always have mismatched paper cups and plates. There will be clutter in my house no matter how many organizational bins I purchase. My hair will be messy and I will most likely be wearing the same yoga pants I wore yesterday. But I will always know that I have loved with every fiber of my being and I have appreciated every minute of my perfectly messy life. It is filled with moments of beauty and wonder, sadness and fear, hope and happiness. It is chaotic and disorganized and full of mistakes but it is also perfect and magical and inspiring. My life, and everything I do in my life, is enough.

{image via Emily McDowell}

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