Mother’s Day + Unmet Expectations

If yesterday wasn’t everything you wanted it to be, this is for you.

If holidays are complicated and stressful, this is for you.

If you know something’s not quite right about your life but you can’t put your finger on it, this is for you.

If you and your spouse actually spent more of the weekend fighting, instead of recognizing you for Mother’s Day and the sacrifices you make…this is for you.

Today I’ve been thinking a lot about disappointment and managing expectations…cause man, isn’t life messy?

It’s not perfectly posed pictures and cohesive feeds. Sometimes we forget that.

We forget we ALL struggle off-screen. We all have things that we struggle with and don’t talk about – and on the flip side, what we project to the world is typically rainbows and butterflies.

There’s nothing wrong with posting a pretty picture, but this is a reminder for you – and me – that it isn’t the full picture.

Here’s to those of us struggling off-camera.

Here’s to the moms who weren’t recognized for Mother’s Day.

Here’s to the moms who had expectations and had to lower them, for whatever reason.

Here’s to moms who had a complicated weekend – whether your relationship with your own mother is strained, your mother is no longer here, or you don’t even know your mother.

We forget that real life happens, and that disappointment happens – and that just compounds the hurt.

We don’t always talk about the complicated things, or the things that really keep us up at night: problems with the kids, strains on our marriage, the disfunction within our family. All of us struggle behind closed doors.

We forget that there are so many other people experiencing similar things to us. We tend to feel so alone in our struggle.

That’s the point of all this – I want you to know that your experiences are unique, and that you are special, but that you aren’t ALONE.

As always, I’m here to talk to…and I’m not just saying that. We always think that everyone else is too busy for us, but that’s not always the case – if you need someone to listen, I’m all ears friend.