I am a duck. A swimming duck.
You know....calm, cool above the water, but frantically paddling under the water to keep moving and stay afloat.
Even though my life (above the water) may appear to be in order, my kids may appear to be always well-behaved, my house appears to be clean (from the outside), my time-management appears to be stellar, my family appears to be put together at church....it's not always the case.
As of late, I attribute sleep deprivation, sick kids, and stress to my inability to quite get a hold on how I want life to run. But even without all those excuses (because that's exactly what they are), I'm pretty sure I'd still be "frantically paddling." Life is messy. Under the water, futile efforts to keep up with piles of laundry on my bedroom floor, trying to manage a disorganized house, prayers for patience, my annoyed voice, my perpetually filthy bathrooms, and my teeth grinding...all go unseen.
Some would argue that above the water is just a facade to make others think all is well. In some cases, maybe yes. But for me, my mother taught me that even when times are tough, you need to put your big girl panties on and endure your trials with a smile on your face. Attitude is everything, right? It doesn't necessarily mean you're pretending all is perfect. But you try to make the best of it, and then try even harder the next day.
Now to some of my friends and family I may not be a swimming duck at all. They've seen my feathers ruffled. To them I'm more of a "just lost a fight to a goose" duck. And that's okay. Those are the people on whom I lean...especially my family.
So I guess the point of this little post is to hopefully share my feelings that have been weighing on me lately, and to express my gratitude to those who've at times made it possible for me to paddle a little less furiously under the water.
And do you know what?
I think it's perfectly fine to be a swimming duck....
As long as you get out of the water every once in a while.
Afterthoughts:
-This post was originally inspired by this.
-For moms, you need to read this post, Your Children Want You
-One of my favorite quotes is, "If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back."
What a wonderful and honest post. Thank you.
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