This card says: Shining means being willing to do things for the people I love. Even when I don’t feel like it but also knowing my own boundaries for when it’s best to say not right now please. It’s taking the time I need to be my best self for the people I love.
There are two main things here:
- Doing things for people I love even when I don’t want to.
- Saying no, to people I love, when I know that I need to say no.
Both of these are ways to show love to them and to me. When I am shining, I do both. I know my boundaries and say no when I need to and I say yes even when I don’t want to.
The difference for me is the “need” vs “want.” I can easily sit and read all the hours of every day. I love to read and I can choose to do that over anything else. I don’t like to drive my kids to playdates or birthday parties or anywhere else that I know I will have to do smalltalk. I hate small talk. I hate it.
I hate it.
So I avoid it at all cost. Except when I need to do it for my kids. I may not want to go to these parties, but I still go. I choose to be there. I choose to show up because I love my kids and I know these moments are important for them.
But there are also times when, being an introvert, I am so depleted that I cannot handle one more event. And at those moments, I ask for help. Jake takes over and he does all of what I can’t do. (In fact, he does almost all the birthdays now, bless him.)
Shining means showing up for the people I love. Including myself.
Shining Means is a Monthly Project for March 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.
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