When The Day Is Done
I come to a point in the evening well I tell myself the day is done.
This is my cue to myself to stop.
I leave the unfinished projects. I walk away from the mud room floor covered in gloves, boots, and book packs. I leave the rice in the pot that never got put into the leftover containers. I walk past the piles of my children’s school work that needs to be gone through.
I do this because I have worked hard all day and I love myself enough to let me be done.
We could always do more. There is always something to clean. Always something that needs our attention.
But because I have compassion and grace for myself at 8:00pm when the alarm goes off on my phone….. The day is done.
When we tuck the kids in at night we have a little ritual that we all love. After we get them dressed in there jammies, teeth brushed, books read, we snuggle up with them in bed to talk with them for a moment.
I love this time to self reflect with them. I might bring up one thing that didn’t go the way we would have liked and then say things like, “Today was such a great day. We got to go outside and see the ducks on the pond. We got to build a fort under the table and play camping together. We were able to snuggle up and watch Grizzly and the Lemings together…..”
This is such a great way to end the day. Flooding there little brains with self reflection and positivity.
In Raising Kids On Purpose she talks about the benefits of self reflection and awareness, she says…
Here are many benefits of self-awareness:
Higher levels of emotional intelligence
The ability to empathize, be more compassionate and kind
Better communication and listening skills
Critical thinking skills
The ability to make better decisions
Stronger relationships
Better leadership skills
This is true for us as well. We want to have that time to look back on our day. To recognize all the things we were able to achieve. All the things we pushed through on. All the difficult moments we worked through and problem solved through out the day. That I am proud of myself for x,y,z. I normally do this when I’m washing my face in the evening, or brushing my teeth before I say my prayers.
I give myself that time to analyze, reflect and wonder. We are human beings, we are the only species that is able to think about our thinking. I love having the ability to self reflect and make changes. Today is done, and tomorrow is a new day. You got this momma.
