Working single mom. American. Patriot. Lover of life. But chronically exhausted and overwhelmed...
It's Labor Day 2023. The girls are finally asleep. This vacation has been amazing. It's my first time taking them away somewhere by myself. In some ways I feel pretty bad-ass... but mostly I feel grateful, exhausted and overwhelmed.
I never envisioned doing this on my own.
A single mama, who has to work to pay her mortgage(s), put food on the table and still have time to provide a safe and loving home to the 3 most amazing little girls on the planet.
You don't have to understand. And many of you will not.
It's not something I would wish on any of you... the stress, the pressure, the fear, the exhaustion... but in these moments alone with them, I realize that I have everything I ever wanted and need... A full heart. A full home. A bright future.
Money cannot buy the things I need.
Sometimes we have to work to live, even if we cannot put everything we have into the job of the day.
We have to ask for help and accept that we cannot do it all on our own... even if we think we can.
We have to be honest with ourselves, and vulnerable enough to "fail". Sometimes failing is the only way to move forward.
I've failed in so many ways.
In jobs, in boundaries, in relationships, in parenting... And today, on Labor Day... a day to celebrate our hard work, I think it's important to also recognize what we've learned through our failures. Because if we did not WORK HARD, we would not fail. If we do not put ourselves out there, and try, we are not really trying. We are not laboring.
In life we can easily labor. We can sacrifice what we want, and sometimes even parts of who we are. Labor is not the thing we celebrate - it's the commitment and perseverance in trying everything to effect positive change... that is what we reflect upon today. Labor Day.
The labors of love. Of truth. Of justice. We persevere even when life is hard and our goals seem impossible.
We keep moving forward.
We keep trying.
We fight.
We do not give up or give in. And we never lose our sense of self, nor force others to give up on theirs.
Labor Day is about hope.
Life may be hard, but if we are still breathing then there is still a sign of hope that God is not done with our life yet. There is still more life to live. More work to be done. More laboring...
Whether you're a single mom, a hard-working dad, a sister, mother, aunt, grandma, grandpa, etc. We are all laboring together to make this world better. For our children. For their children. We keep trying...
So, for Labor Day - I have 1 quick Small Hinge tip... pause. Stop laboring for a moment and enjoy that moment. Breathe. Hug someone. Do something fun. Life has only given us so much time. Only a certain set of moments... live them fully.
Be kind to yourself and others, especially WHEN YOU ARE LABORING.
Happy Labor Day my friends!
Love & yum,
Lindsay
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