A self-care Tea with Julie series continues.
Tea with Julie

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
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Cincinnati, December 5, 2020

Hi Friend,

In the hurry scurry to be all things to all people, don’t forget to be there for you.

You deserve choices—what to eat, what movies to see, where to take a walk, how to decorate a room, what topics to study, what field trips to take, how to spend a holiday weekend, what to do with unexpected funds.

You are not merely the mirror for all the choices of the ones you love.

Not only that, your opinions, thoughts, and feelings can change. You don’t have to hang onto one idea or belief simply because you held it fiercely at one point in time. It’s okay to test a new belief, to try a new idea, to return to a discarded one and try it again.

You don’t have to agree with all the members of your household. You can disagree (even strongly) as long as you leave room for the others to have their own strong opinions too. You can contend for the ideals or values you are forming, while recognizing that these same ideals are incomplete/unfinished and can grow and change again (and likely will).

Take time for you

It’s okay to need time to yourself (even five minutes, behind the pantry door, to regroup and fight back tears).

Your feelings can be hurt. Your heart can feel torn in two. You will occasionally be genuinely annoyed by one of your children (worried about, embarrassed by, sick of).

You’re human. You get to be. You get to lose it occasionally, and you get to ask forgiveness, and to make amends.

You matter. Your life is not only about these other precious people you selflessly serve. It is also about you. You get one life. Be sure you are living it.

The best definition of co-dependency I ever heard was this: “When you’re drowning, someone else’s life flashes before your eyes.”

Make sure your life is flashing before yours, now, while you can live it fully. Put something on the calendar for you—

  • time,
  • space,
  • food,
  • reading,
  • exploration,
  • a new goal.

Amazingly, everyone in your home will respect and admire you more when they see you enthusiastic about your own life. After all, how else do your kids get to understand the value of being an adult if they don’t see the wonderful stuff adulthood offers YOU?

Be good to you today.

Warmly,

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P.S. Catch up on all the “Tea with Julie” emails here!

Julie Bogart
© 2020 Brave Writer LLC™
help@bravewriter.com

Brave Writer

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