A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.

The Joy That Is This Life

Basking in the Sunshine
Raising my children has been my life's greatest joy. One reason is because I get to experience the world through their eyes. The simplicity of their love. Their joie de vivre. The way that they take pleasure in nature and people, it is astounding and I am here for the lessons.

This photo of my sun basking in the sunshine is one of my favorites because it captures the pure joy that he is experiencing in the moment. He is outside. He is at the playground and life is good! May we all experience this type of joy this week. If you do, give thanks. After all, this is the season of thanksgiving.




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