Recently I was talking with a mom friend of mine about tantrums. Our sons our about the same age and I was sharing how Grant had thrown himself on the floor like the world was going to end because his sock "felt weird." Yes, this happened. She shared stories of how her son would whine about dinner and how she's reply to him, "Get some perspective, there are kids in Africa who don't even get to eat dinner!" She can say this because she was literally a missionary kid who grew up in Africa, she's seen this first hand.
This idea has been swimming around in my head. "Get some perspective!" During the Superbowl Brian decided he no longer wanted us to use our coffee table in the basement, because it would make the room look bigger. I was not happy, we use it and who cares if it makes the room look bigger? Although I didn't show it, I was throwing quite the tantrum in my head. The half-time show came on and Katy Perry did her thing. (I continued to throw a fit in my head.) Her show concluded with "Firework" and I just started crying.
Why you ask? A few years ago I had a dear friend (my age) die of cancer. She was amazing and fought this battle for 10 yeas with unwavering faith. On her last birthday her husband threw her the most amazing surprise birthday party. She entered to the song "Firework" and it's been "her" song ever since. I needed to "Get some perspective!" She had died of cancer and her I was throwing a tantrum about a coffee table. Ridiculous.
It's so easy for use to declare things "the worst."
You go to load the dryer only to find wrinkled clothes inside that you now need to fluff and fold- the worst!
Perspective says at least you have a dryer and more than enough clothes.
You walk down the dark hallway at night only to trip on a stray lego- the worst!
Perspective says what a blessing to have a child, and one with an imagination to create cool stuff with legos.
You feel like a ping bong ball being bounced from one child to another, then to your husband. You don't have a minute for yourself and going to the bathroom alone? Forget it! -the worst!
Perspective says your family needs you, relies on you, and loves you. That makes it worth it!
Oh, and by the way, my husband changed his mind about the coffee table, so if I would have started a fight about it, it would have been for nothing. I'm continually working to "Get some perspective." Why make things bigger than they need to be, why get upset about things that really don't matter in the end? I want to remember how blessed I really am and I hope this rings true with you too.
I mentioned about a week ago that I went to a fashion swap. I ended up trading in a pair of red jeans that never really fit me right for this pair I adore. I decided to wear it with this sweater which has ended up being basically my favorite thing in my closet. It's crazy how there are some pieces that you just gravitate to. It's warm, it's cozy, it's striped...so pretty much everything I love. : ) I'm also linking up with Putting Me Together's Style Challenge to wear a Valentine's themed color.
Sweater: Merona same
Shirt: Kensie c/o Gordmans similar
Jeans: Old Navy similar
Necklace: Stella and Dot same
Boots: Sam and Libby similar
Linking up with:
I have to remind myself of my blessings quite often too. I get tired and lose all sense of reality. Thanks for the help refocusing today! Great red pants!! Love them! Susan
ReplyDeleteI have some red jeans on their way to me from thredup today! I love how yours look with your cozy cardigan! And thanks for the reminder of perspective. We always need that!
ReplyDeleteOH my gosh you have so much snow! You still look warm and cozy in those red pants that are so striking on you. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteRed jeans for the win! Love mine! Remembering our blessings is oh so important.
ReplyDeleteWow what an important thing to remember and keep in check, thanks for sharing this (and your new red pants and cardigan, looking lovely Ginny).Rachel xo
ReplyDeleteGaray Treasures
This is a great reminder I needed! It's so easy to get caught up in little things that aren't going quite right and fail to see the bigger picture about what blessings we do have in our lives. Also, love those red jeans on you! Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteVivian throws tantrums more often than we like. Oh well. Believe it or not I don't own true red skinny jeans. Love how you styled yours. That is a great cardigan!
ReplyDeleteYeah, perspective is so important! This is a great reminder.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it's so easy to think of what's wrong or what we don't have. Our eyes tend to focus on the negative. Counting blessings every day is so important.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post and so true! A couple weeks ago I was getting so upset because my blog pictures were not turning out how I wanted them to. In the middle of taking pictures and getting upset about them, I got a call from my mother-in-law saying that one of our relatives who is only 5 years old passed away. He had gotten E Coli and his kidneys shut down. It was so sad and made me realize how ridiculous I was being about my photos.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kaciesklosetblog.com