The Woman My Younger Self Needed
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Finding peace in small choices that bring us home to ourselves.
I've been thinking a lot lately about small choices.
Not the life-changing ones.
The quiet ones.
The choice to rest.
The choice to begin.
The choice to say "that's enough for today."
The choice to offer ourselves the same kindness we so freely give to everyone else.
Those little choices don't usually make the highlight reel of our lives.
But I've begun to believe they're the ones that change us the most.
A Different Kind of Progress
Like many people, I've spent much of my life measuring progress by what I accomplished.
How much I finished.
How productive I was.
How many things I crossed off my list.
Lately, my definition of progress has been quietly changing.
Some days, progress is taking my morning walk with the pups before the Arizona heat settles in.
Some days, it's spending an hour in my studio, then listening when my body tells me it's time to rest.
Some days, it's simply listening when my body whispers instead of waiting until it has to shout.
Those days count too.
Maybe they count even more.
Learning to Mother Myself
One of the most meaningful lessons I've been working on lately came from a simple realization.
I've spent a lifetime encouraging other people.
Cheering them on.
Celebrating their victories.
Reminding them to be patient with themselves.
Offering grace when life becomes difficult.
Then one day I asked myself...
Why is it so much harder to offer those same gifts to me?
I've been consciously practicing something new.
I'm learning to apply my own values to myself.
Compassion.
Patience.
Kindness.
Curiosity.
Grace.
And perhaps the most tender lesson of all...
I'm learning to become my own mother.
To become the voice that says,
"It's okay to rest."
"You've done enough today."
"I'm proud of you."
"Let's try again tomorrow."
Those words have a remarkable way of softening even the hardest days.
The Small Choices That Bring Us Home
I've discovered that becoming isn't usually dramatic.
It's rarely one giant leap.
It's choosing to honor my body.
It's allowing joy to exist in an ordinary afternoon.
It's playing cards with Kevin.
It's laughing at my pups.
It's watching birds outside my window.
It's stitching a few lines of thread before calling it a day.
One small choice.
Then another.
And another.
Until one day you realize...
You're becoming someone different.
Or maybe...
You're becoming who you were always meant to be.
An Invitation
As you go through this week, I hope you'll notice your own small choices.
The walk you almost didn't take.
The healthy meal you prepared.
The project you worked on for fifteen minutes.
The nap you finally allowed yourself.
The deep breath you remembered to take.
Celebrate those moments.
They matter.
They are the quiet building blocks of a life lived with intention.
And perhaps the greatest gift we can give ourselves isn't becoming someone new.
Perhaps it's becoming the woman our younger self always needed.
And maybe...
She's been here all along, patiently waiting for me to come home.
With Love,
Deb
As a woman becames a wife, mother and than eventually grandmother we were never told in any way to listen to our whole selves. At this stage of life that I am at this is a wonderful exercise to work on every day. Peace is a beautiful thing and what a wonderful way to try to experience it . . .thank you for sharing and encouraging us always.