Slow Down and Lighten Up

Where my ladies at?!

Not that I think we have a multitude of male followers on this blog, but just in case, disclaimer: this one’s for the girls! (Shoutout to Kassandra Stout & memories of blaring Martina McBride’s This One’s For the Girls cruising up and down highway 50 with the windows down back in 2009).

Ladies….life is (sometimes) hard, am I right? We’re pressured (mainly by ourselves) to BE and DO and HAVE so much. I want to BE SUCCESSFUL in my career and DO EVERYTHING I possibly can to keep everyone around me happy all while making sure I HAVE the nicest things (including body LOLOLOL). I want to BE BETTER in my faith and DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to provide for my future family and HAVE the most packed schedule with all of the *best* events and trips. I want to BE HAPPIER in my relationship with Christ, still DOING what I want, and *pretending* to HAVE it all together. BE, DO, HAVE. UGH. Can’t a girl just wake up, sip an iced coffee, keep a “fit-ish” body, make a million dollars, and get through the day with no stress?!

Some days I wake up and immediately know I’m going to “lose” multiple times that day and that the outside pressures to BE AND DO AND HAVE are going to take over. Take this morning, this dreary, rainy Monday morning. I spent an extra day in Atlanta on business because of the “ice storm”, got in late after a delayed flight, had mounds of cleaning and laundry to do, and my suitcase still packed from my trip waiting for me by my bed. I woke up feeling a bit sicker than I had been the day before, couldn’t find any clean clothes that “looked good on me”, found my shampoo leaking through my suitcase, and to top it off…. My deodorant exploded when I went to put it on. I got in my car, irritated at so many things and spilled my coffee. COME ON, MONDAY.

I know we’ve all been there, those “losing” days. I feel like I win most of them but man…losing is just the worst. I woke up this morning in a hurry, trying to get straight1 from my trip back to the store. I have a million things to do this week between our trip to Atlanta and our next market trip to Vegas. I start a book study this week at my house that I need to prepare for and I have appointments Tuesday night to plan a wedding. You see, there I was… BEING too much, DOING too much, and trying to HAVE too much. I spent all week in Atlanta at market, finding new items and brainstorming about the direction we want to take The Southern Rose. I was inspired, motivated, and ready to DO amazing things when I got back. And then, Monday hit (like a freight train) and took me back. (You know when your Internet slows down because you have too many tabs open??? I really think God did that to me in real life!!! That guy & His humor!)

So ladies… if you get like me and feel overwhelmed by the pressures and like you’re “breaking” at the little *annoying* things in life while trying to balance a little too much… know that you aren’t alone. There is probably a woman on your street that is SO tired of running around like a mad woman EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT after work until bedtime, shuffling kids to practice and games. There’s probably a gal in your cubicle that feels like she’ll never be good enough if she doesn’t fill her planner with dinners and parties and happy hours, even though she would rather sit at home and relax JUST ONCE. Let’s unite in prayer for the women around us – the women that are POWERFUL and CAPABLE of so many things. May we all remember the strength we find in Christ when we feel like our cup couldn’t possibly hold anymore & may we all remember the grace we find in Him when we let our “losing” have an affect on the light we shine in this world. Happy Monday, y’all! Let’s make this week a good one!