Thank GOD it's Friday

People say TGIF all the time. Heck, even I do it without thinking about what it really says sometimes. But today, during a nice stress-talk with my Mama as we both rushed to work, I was just drowning in my own stress. It has just been a BAD week, a BUSY week, and a DIRTY week and there is no end in sight. I was, at that moment, stressing about how messy my house was and the fact that my MIL is coming to spend the night tonight and I might just die of embarassment. Mama said, "Leslie, she loves you. Just clean your toilet, take a deep breath, and move on." (My Mama is a get to the point kind of lady, which is what I need when I get in to one of my stress-fits.) It was so simple, but suddenly, it made SO MUCH SENSE.

I needed to stop focusing on the STRESS of cleaning for company and turn my attention to being THANKFUL that she was coming to watch Tucker Saturday while I go to a meeting for the hubs.

I need to stop focusing on how exhausting it can be to have to run errands to finish making some tutus and turn my attention to the check I got in the mail yesterday for a finished tutu that I can now put in my bank account for some fun when I get some free time.

I need to stop focusing on how BAD of a mother putting my 19 month old in a high chair outside of SONIC in JANUARY (though I promise it wasn't too cold - I didn't even have on a jacket) to feed her a chili cheese dog (which she LOVES, by the way) makes me feel and start focusing on HOW MUCH FUN T had dancing to the music and pointing at all the cars.

I was born an optimistic Chicken Little (if such a thing exists). My inner being wants to constantly scream, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" I spend most of my days playing what I like to call "Pollyanna", finding the silver lining to any situaiton. I don't do it for others. I do it to force my brain to find the GOOD - to be POSITIVE. Most days I succeed.

But then there are weeks like this one where the sky actually seems to be caving in on me. I don't think you can even call what I've been doing this week "treading water". I have felt like I'm going under, and when I get there, I revert immediately to my inner Chicken Little.

Sometimes it takes someone telling me to "Clean your toilet and take a deep breath," to refocus my thoughts and remember that not only does my MIL love me (thank goodness), but GOD LOVES ME, even in all my Chicken Little-ness. Even when I can do nothing but wallow in my own self-pity, exhaustion, and frustration, GOD LOVES ME and cares about my happiness and well-being.

And in these times of desperation on my part, God always sends a ray of hope. He sends a wake-up call from my Mama or a night of goofing around in WalMart with Tucker filled with laughter. He sends a stumbled upon job description that gives me hope that I really COULD find a job that doesn't irritate and depress me.

So for those of you having a Chicken Little kind of week, "Clean your toilet and take a deep breath." God loves you. There are always rays of sunshine to be found if we can only bring ourselves to see them.

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie


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