Everyone has their habits. And I think the sum of your habits define who you are. Pay close attention to the little things that someone does time after time and you start to get a sense for their personality. Are they organized or flighty? Are they carefree or timid?
I have and have had a lot of habits. Some very beloved and others that I work to change. It has been said that it takes 21 days of performing a new habit to have it truly stick and become part of your day to day life. Others know that some changes you try to make in life take much longer than that. Months, years, sometimes maybe even decades.
When you have a child, you don't get much lead time to change your habits to fit your new life. You don't have time to train for the marathon ahead of you. One day you're one person and the next someone completely new. You go into it as a childless person with your very specific habits and you come out unable to perform most of your personality defining patterns. For me, it's one of the hardest parts of parenthood. Missing my old habits and trying to create new and healthy ones.
I used to go to the gym after work. I used to wake up on Saturday mornings, brew a pot of coffee and sit on the couch or in the backyard and read cookbooks while I made my weekly grocery shopping list. I cleaned the house very well every week. I went to yoga. I walked the dogs. I went hiking. I cooked elaborate (and delicious) meals, wrote in my journal and had time to myself to think. These habits defined me and more anything, I think they helped keep me centered. They were some of my most cherished routines.
But, with 21 days or not I had to change my habits. Now I usually don't set an alarm, we sleep until Knox wakes us. I read cookbooks about how to cook good food faster and I make huge batches of food to freeze precooked meals. I take Knox on walks (sorry doggies...) to the neighborhood park on weekend mornings. I nurse him at bedtime and when he's done I put him up on my shoulder, hug him, kiss his head and say "night night. I love you so much." Then, I lay him in his crib and cover him up then slip quietly out of the room. Slowly but surely, I am creating new habits that I cherish even more than the old. I am working to redefine who I am.
That's not to say that when I have a day entirely to myself I don't go back to those old customs. I do. And I relish in them. I enjoy the extended time I have to clean the house. I read a magazine. I writein my journal a blog post. I take the time to get re-centered so I can get back to my marathon the next day. It's a nice (and necessary) time out. I don't feel guilty (ok maybe just a little but I get past it) about taking time for myself every so often. I send Knox to daycare when I have the day off and encourage Max to go play golf then stay in my pajamas until noon.
I hope sometimes you do too.
xoxo,
Ashley
I have and have had a lot of habits. Some very beloved and others that I work to change. It has been said that it takes 21 days of performing a new habit to have it truly stick and become part of your day to day life. Others know that some changes you try to make in life take much longer than that. Months, years, sometimes maybe even decades.
When you have a child, you don't get much lead time to change your habits to fit your new life. You don't have time to train for the marathon ahead of you. One day you're one person and the next someone completely new. You go into it as a childless person with your very specific habits and you come out unable to perform most of your personality defining patterns. For me, it's one of the hardest parts of parenthood. Missing my old habits and trying to create new and healthy ones.
I used to go to the gym after work. I used to wake up on Saturday mornings, brew a pot of coffee and sit on the couch or in the backyard and read cookbooks while I made my weekly grocery shopping list. I cleaned the house very well every week. I went to yoga. I walked the dogs. I went hiking. I cooked elaborate (and delicious) meals, wrote in my journal and had time to myself to think. These habits defined me and more anything, I think they helped keep me centered. They were some of my most cherished routines.
But, with 21 days or not I had to change my habits. Now I usually don't set an alarm, we sleep until Knox wakes us. I read cookbooks about how to cook good food faster and I make huge batches of food to freeze precooked meals. I take Knox on walks (sorry doggies...) to the neighborhood park on weekend mornings. I nurse him at bedtime and when he's done I put him up on my shoulder, hug him, kiss his head and say "night night. I love you so much." Then, I lay him in his crib and cover him up then slip quietly out of the room. Slowly but surely, I am creating new habits that I cherish even more than the old. I am working to redefine who I am.
That's not to say that when I have a day entirely to myself I don't go back to those old customs. I do. And I relish in them. I enjoy the extended time I have to clean the house. I read a magazine. I write
I hope sometimes you do too.
xoxo,
Ashley
0 comments:
Post a Comment