For all the ways you wonder if you are doing a good job with your kids, if you are failing miserably, if you are sure there are periods of extreme and steady shortfall in energy, patience, guidance, good and solid example, every now and then you actually have a moment when you think you are actually doing ok.
My daughters told me the other day that my string theory is famous at their school.
I had no idea what they were talking about.
They said “you know mom, whenver we are having a rough day or something seems insurmountable, or horrible, nasty, sad, tragic, or hurtfull and you always remind us of your string theory.” You get out a string and you lay it on the table in front of us and you say- “this is your life, I trust it will be long. This moment of difficulty is a knot in it. And then you tie a knot in it somewhere early on in the string. It is a big difficulty- but in the grand scheme of things- it is tiny.”
(Even though you feel like this)
“Mom, this is what we tell our friends when they are sad or challenged. It helps. We love the string theory”
( with perspective-you are really just like this)
I had no idea they were listening. I did not know. It gave me a shiver.
These are great feelings. They help balance the moments when you feel like you are barely getting to it all and barely doing anything right.
Tell me about your moments when you feel you are doing a good job and the effect is lasting- I want to hear
My friend going through a very difficult time shared her rule of 10s when some new obstacled caused her to stumble.
How will I feel about this is :10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days, 10 years.
It helps me put things into perspective and I ask my girls to consider this when something seems epically upsetting.
It helps.
thank you for adding your string theory to my rule of 10’s. It ties it all together…
🙂
i
thanks leslie- I am sure you have tools like this- share, please.
I did not remember ever talking about this with you. Isn’t that funny. But you are always the very best listener.
I have used your string theory to help many friends put challenging times in the context of a full life and you know that you have helped me many times with this same analogy. I was listening too.
I love the string theory…..You are a genious Nancy!!