“I can do hard things.”

I’ve found myself in a little groove lately. Not necessarily one I want to be in, but one that’s easy to settle into, especially when things get a little crazy and I need to “get the job done.” It started before Zack went to New York for nine days (again), and then of course became more present once he was away for work and it was just me with the kids. Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled he had the opportunity to travel. But it came at an odd time for our family.

Yesterday morning I realized this groove was more of a funk, and was still lingering, and the best way to get out of it was to do something totally different. You could also call this groove “maintenance mode”: we do whatever we need to do to get through [x].

So to get out of my funk yesterday the kids and I went to a toddler play date in Santa Monica. There was dancing and book reading and alligator climbing. There were fruit squeeze packs and tutus and lots of mamas and toddlers. It was a hot day, but we had so much fun. And, it was exactly what I needed. And probably exactly what Max & Natalie needed from me.

After their naps, we drove to the grocery store. While picking up some fresh fruit I noticed a bunch of eucalyptus branches were just $1.99, so I picked up two. I love the smell of eucalyptus, but I’ve never bought them for myself. (Why did I wait this long?)

Turns out having something beautiful in your home, something that inspires you and relaxes you and makes you breathe in deep as you pass it by, is pretty important. I found myself feeling less blah. The funk I was feeling was lifting. I felt inspired and motivated to do hard things: simple tasks like calling Quickbooks to troubleshoot an issue, changing the bed sheets, laundry, and sweeping/mopping.

“I can do hard things.”

That is such a powerful sentence.

No, sweeping isn’t the same as overcoming a health issue. That doesn’t mean the two hours that make up nap time aren’t precious, and making a 45 minute phone call isn’t something I wanted to do. But, I needed to do it.

Once the groceries were put away I put one eucalyptus bunch in the kitchen, and one in our bedroom. Oh, what a treat that was! In our small space, our bedroom is divided so the kids beds are separated from ours by a floor-to-ceiling curtain. It feels even more fancy with a branch of eucalyptus leaves in there :)

I can try something new with the kids.

“I can do hard things.”

I can treat myself to a $4 bunch of leaves ;)

I can say yes to small “work” tasks, reminding myself I’ll be able to more greatly enjoy the tasks that come afterward — the ones I really want to do but are hard to enjoy knowing there’s work waiting for me.

I can change our schedule or routine in hopes of trying something new/enjoyable.

I can break down a project into 5, 10 or 15 steps — whatever it takes to get it done!

I can do hard things, and afterward I’ll probably see them in a different light knowing my mood will be lifted once I simply start.