A Bird by Bird Day

My mom, who spent the last two weeks with us, left yesterday. It's the first day of the rest of my life as a mom to four children without my mom here. 

Let's all pause for a collective, "Awwwww."

All day yesterday I kept saying to myself, "How am I going to do this?"

This morning I had my answer: Bird by Bird.

If you're a fan of Anne Lamott, you know what I'm talking about. If you need background, then click here.

So when I stepped on the scale (I know, I know, that was stupid), I reminded myself: Bird by bird (or pound by pound). The clothes scattered across the bathroom floor: Bird by bird (or t-shirt by t-shirt). The kids with all their many needs: Bird by bird (or hug by hug). The marathon I plan to run... some day: Bird by bird (or mile by mile).

I've gone from feeling overwhelmed to being in a zone--a living within my limits zone. Aside from missing my mom and needing more sleep, I feel pretty content. I'm not beating myself up for letting my girls watch too much tv today (and they did), or eating one too many chocolate chip cookies (and I did), or not having started any laundry or not having a clue what I'll make for dinner. Bird by bird. And right now, the bird I'm tending to is sleeping on my chest.