Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! We enjoyed a fun-filled weekend and are geared up to start this week full steam ahead!Originally, I planned this post to be about two big Fall trends – metallic clothing and sportswear, but something else pulled on my heart as I wrote this post. Just an FYI for those that are new: my goal here is of course to bring you the latest, affordable fashion trends. However, above all, I hope you feel encouraged by me and this blog to be you. You are unique, beautiful, and cherished by the most High God!
So the thing that kept pulling on my heart strings to write about? Not being perfect. I’ll admit, this was an inclination or prodding by the Holy Spirit that I did not want to listen to. I am no expert. In fact, I am the opposite. I constantly fall into the trap of trying to be perfect. Lately, I feel like all I read are books about accepting the craziness of life – Present Over Perfect, Choose Joy. Despite my hesitation though, I am going to share with you all my day yesterday in hopes you can maybe resonate with it or be encouraged by it.
Yesterday I woke up feeling anxious. I am very type-A and I’m also a list person. So, I woke up early making a mental list of all the things that had to get done so we could have the “perfect” start to the week. I had a massive amount of work to do, I needed to run 8 miles (so did my husband), and the house chores seemed endless. Instantly I became grumpy and took my frustration out on my kids and husband. I was short and acted like my “problems” were bigger than everyone else’s. Lately, I have realized that lettings things go can be and is a major battle for me. I like to think I can get it all done and if I can’t I feel like I failed.
By noon I quickly realized my task list was not going to be completed by the day’s end. I was forced to relegate some of my chores to my willing husband and had to choose to simply let some chores go – vacuuming, etc. I did my run about mid-day and kept thinking this: the fact is I have a lot on my plate – I can choose to be joyful while I do it or I can choose to be grumpy. That part I can control. I can control my emotions. So, I came home and continued down my to-do list and by dinner time I was no where near done. I chose to let the menial tasks go though and we had a family movie night with the girls. We watched the animation of Stick Man, and instead of watching the movie, I watched my girls.
Y’all, our kids don’t want a clean house. They don’t care that I haven’t vacuumed in 7 days. Our kids could give a rip that my bed doesn’t have all the decorative pillows on it. They want us. They want our affection, our love, our time. I realized then and there that that’s all I wanted too. The happiness I get from a clean home or a completed to-do list is momentary. It’s fleeting. It’s empty. The joy I get from time with my girls – quality time – is invaluable.
So if you walk away with nothing else from today’s post, I hope you walk away knowing it’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to have a messy house if that means you have a joyful home. I’ve learned as I’ve read through “Choose Joy” that joy is different from happiness. Joy is a choice. It’s something you can experience through the happy times and through the biggest struggles. For me, choosing joy means relying on God, who He is, and what His promise is. But no matter what you believe in, joy is something we can all choose to experience – mess or no mess.
sweatshirt: adidas | skirt: topshop | shoes: adidas | bag: everlane c/o | sunnies: karen walker
photography: fort lion studio
fleurdille
