She Wore Birkenstocks and Watched With Glittering Eyes
Growing up, I had one teacher that remains unrivaled to this day. She wore Birkenstocks with dresses, cooked lentils for more meals than I can count and recycled every bottle she could find, long before it was the hip thing to do.
I'm talking about my mom. My passive teacher.
Years later I'm still realizing the depth of the wisdom she imparted to me. Which is, quite frankly, surprising as I don't really recall paying attention. I was far more concerned with purple guess jeans and in writing nasty things about her in my diary because she wouldn't let the 14-year-old me go to a "Woodsy." (For the record, no mom should let their child go to a party in the woods. Ever. So good call on that one mom. I applaud your quick use of common sense. And, I'm sorry I cursed at you in my diary.)If I were to pick one lesson I learned from my mom, it's how to always find the silver lining. This is the lesson I want to teach my kids and really anyone who will listen... the glass is half-full, or, more eloquently, look at the world through glittering eyes.
When I saw this quote, I instantly thought of my mom and how she has helped shape they way I view the world... especially how I see my children and the possibilities in life. She led me down the path of glittering eyes, and there are no words that will fully describe how important this lesson has been to me. I use her gift on a daily basis... with my own family and with myself.This lesson really comes to light when I find myself feeling overwhelmed with working from home and trying to be there for my kids as much as possible.
The balls are always in the air and sometimes they drop... and that's okay.
If we can focus on the silver lining, we can make anything work. We're moms. We've trained ourselves to make the most of nearly wrecked situations (like getting stuck in traffic on your way to the beach with a car full of crazy kids and a dog that may or may not get car sick).Here's to looking at life through glittering eyes. Here's to using the gifts of motherhood to pursue OUR dreams!
P.S. If you missed the link above to my story of what my mom and purple guess jeans taught me, here's a link to my photography website... it's totally worth the read. I mean come on, me in 5th grade? Who doesn't want to hear more about that debacle? Purple Guess JeansP.P.S. If you're new here, be sure to click around - this blog is filled with great info for the work at home mom!
