Okay, moms. I am hoping that you can relate to me here. Have any of you ever experienced your child’s growth spurt as a result of going through a period of sickness? I’ve observed this since my kids were young and it seems right now that all three of them are going through this phenomenon. We have been dealing with some health challenges over the last two weeks, as they cycle through our kids. All three have had coughs. As of this morning, now all three have pinkeye (Blake had it last week, it took Caleigh and Maggie out this morning). Blake didn’t go to school at all last week and obviously this morning, with pinkeye Caleigh is staying home and Maggie won’t be going to daycare.
Since Blake has been under the weather, he has averaged 12 hours of sleep per night.
Caleigh has been going down at 8PM sharp (versus reading in bed until 9 or 9:15).
Maggie has gone to bed earlier and will sometimes sleep as long as twelve hours although this morning she was up bright and early at 4:18. (I’m on my third cup of tea as of 6:48 AM….)
This morning, I noticed that all three have grown. They’ve changed. There is something different about them although I can’t exactly put my finger on it. It’s as if I put them to sleep in one form and they woke up as slightly different, slightly bigger versions of themselves.
Amazing growth spurts aside, to say the least, it’s been a long couple of weeks. We have been doing everything to help support their bodies. The kids have been adjusted. They’ve eaten well (save some treats from Hallowe’en…). They’ve been resting. They’ve been taking supplements, drinking water, and using essential oils. Sometimes though the stress of life can be emotionally overwhelming. I recognize that we’ve had a lot on the go lately – the girls birthdays, Hallowe’en, a party this weekend to welcome their new baby cousin into the family, and more.
I think the universe is most definitely telling us to slow it down. Funny thing is that I don’t really feel that we’re going that fast. Isn’t it interesting how life can sometimes have a different opinion of this? But life is always changing along with our needs. So what worked for us in the past in terms of “busy-ness” is no longer serving us now. I am apparently just not doing a good job of accepting this.
So this morning I cancelled out of the gym, kept my girls home from school and daycare, and just chilled out. We baked some homemade muffins, watched Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings (for the twelfth time this month), and while Maggie napped, I helped Caleigh with her homework. I drank tea (surprise, surprise), wore yoga pants (surprise, surprise), and wrestled with my thoughts as I tried to stay present with my girls.
I had some wise words presented to me via email from one of my mentors this morning. Maybe the illnesses of my kids was a sign from the Universe to simply do what I was trying to hard to do. Slow down. As if the illnesses weren’t enough – this weekend Caleigh fell about 6 feet out of a tree and landed on her back. A trip to our local hospital and three films later, we ruled out any fracture. But as if the coughs, pinkeye and runny noses of the last two weeks hadn’t been enough reminder knocks, this was a violent shove at me to encourage me to wake up. Huh.
Now, to just to do that. To shelve the less important things in favour of the things that matter the most. I thought I had been doing that but maybe not enough? Once again I find myself working through the internal struggle of wanting to be a mom and wanting to do my other work. Tuesday mornings are usually my mornings to get in a workout and then get some writing done prior to going in to the office to see patients. Here’s my guilty admission: I love being able to take care of my kids when they need me but after a few days and certainly after almost two weeks of it, I start to long for the ability to do my work. It’s an internal pull in me and there are days I can’t decide what I want to do more. Sometimes too, I think that I’ve chosen to take so much on in my life that I forget what it is like to just life live a bit more simply. I have forgotten how to minimize, if not completely avoid, the chaos and the drama. But each step I take in that direction, life feels better.
So just like my kids, I’m having a growth spurt. Not physically but instead, emotionally and spiritually. I’m choosing less quantity in favour of more quality. I’m choosing to focus solely on the things that make me most happy and prioritize those above everything else. I’m choosing to clarify exactly what it is I want. I also choose to trust that this process will guide me towards the ideal life that I’ve envisioned for myself.
The big question though becomes: Am I willing to let go of things in order to trust in this process?
dr andrea ryan 