The Amazing Race

I think I've finally figured it out. I think I have finally found my voice. We had a Discovery Toys meeting here at my place last night and we did an exercise that I had just done the week before at another DT event. I have done this exercise many times over the course of my business but I think I finally got somewhere with it. It was figuring out my "why" - why do I do this business and what do I want out of it? What are the roadblocks that keep me from getting to where I want to be? What are some solutions and strategies to overcoming those roadblocks?

As I said, I've done this exercise before. I know that our reasons for staying with a business evolve over time and are not necessarily the same as the reasons we joined. But I think I finally got honest enough with myself and figured out what it is that I love about being a part of DT, why it is that I haven't left when I have encountered those roadblocks that truly are a part of anything worthwhile.

Here is what I wrote down:
Because I feel fulfillment being a part of this company. It allows me to be not just a mom and not just a wife. I am a person that other adults look up to and respect.

Wanna know the reason I joined? To make money and stay at home with my kids. Is that still true? Absolutely! But it has become so much more.

A fantastic analogy came up last night. One of the things that we all struggle with from time to time is just simply picking up the phone to make calls. Ugh! Who among us hasn't felt the weight of the phone pulling us in another direction? However it is part of our job. As a mom, who among us enjoys cleaning a poopy diaper? Even though we don't look forward to it or particularly enjoy it, we know that it has to be done. Plus, the longer you wait, the worse it gets!

I feel that something has clicked in my brain. I've heard this click before and it usually comes right before a time of greatness. I feel like I have been floundering a bit this year trying to find my footing. Even with this blog, it hasn't been focused but rather random and scattered - a good reflection on where I've been. But now I have found my voice. Now I am part of an amazing race that will lead me to greatness! I am excited to pick up the phone today and I am excited to talk with people and share with them. That's ultimately what it's all about - sharing! And as Jack Johnson says, "It's always more fun to share with everyone!"

Perspective

I just finished watching The Pursuit of Happyness for the first time. It's been on my to-watch list for a long time and tonight was the night it finally happened. I've been meaning to watch it because I have heard from several people what a great story it is of never giving up and chasing your dream. Well it was all that. But that's not what hit me.

As I watched this movie, I was sitting in my nice house having something to eat and folding laundry. I put away 3 loads of clothes into closets that were by no means empty. I realized how much I take what I've been given for granted. So what if my walls aren't the colour I want them to be? Who cares that my car isn't shiny and new? Does it matter that there's a stain on the rug in the living room?

We have been given so much and tonight I realized how self-absorbed and selfish I can be. I have had the house to myself for over 24 hours now (the DH took Freckles and Frogurt on a road trip - they'll be back soon) and I spent all day today in my pyjamas. I got quite a bit accomplished but I had the luxury - yes, the luxury - of staying home and enjoying my house. As I walked through each of the bedrooms to put away the clothes, I was just taken back with what a huge responsibility we have been given as parents to empart to these small charges of ours some semblance of what it means to give selflessly and to be filled with gratitude. I was filled with a longing to just wrap my arms around my kids and try to get it through to them how rich we actually are.

Both of them have asked me that at different times - are we rich? And my answer is always the same. It doesn't have anything to do with what is in your bank account. Riches aren't measured in square feet or by what sits in your double garage. There are many people who seem to have it all but inside are crumbling. There are those who seemingly have nothing, like Chris Gardner, but who are rich beyond measure with love and devotion. It is measured by what you do with what you are given. It is measured by the fullness of your heart. And by those standards, yes, we are very rich.

Cereal

Now I have several pet peeves surrounding the everyday functions of my house - I'll save How To Properly Fold a Towel for another day.

Today's pet peeve: cereal. I currently have an unopened box of Brown Sugar Mini Wheats hiding under my bed. I bought it the other day but am waiting to introduce it to the cereal cupboard. Frogurt was even with me when I bought them but has obviously forgotten as he has not asked me about them. This is a favorite type of cereal around here but that is the problem. There are currently 4 other types of cereal on the go. I have 4 cereal keepers and they all have something in them. But none of them has very much. If I were to bring out the Mini Wheats, the rest of those cereals would go uneaten. Even worse, someone, most likely my DH, would rip open the jumbo plastic bag and perch it precariously on top of one of the cereal keepers. Even if there is an empty container there, he won't take the time to transfer the cereal from the plastic bag to the cereal keeper.

There is also the scenario where the bag of cereal is too big for the smallest of the keepers. However the extra-large keeper only has about one bowl left. So there are two possible actions here: eat the last bowl before opening a new bag or transfer the crumbs to the smaller keeper. But, alas, no... instead the cereal is once again left in the bag or the majority of it is transferred and a bit is left in the bag to get stale as it falls to the back of the cupboard and is forgotten about.

Here's the thing - since not introducing the new bag, I have noticed everyone is eating the other cereal up! What a novel concept! Let's finish something before we start something new! No one is complaining. However, if there was new cereal sitting there and I asked them to finish up the last of the rice krispies first, there would be much whimpering and carrying-on.

Am I alone here? What are your pet peeves?