I wrote the following letter to myself as an exercise for self-love in the book "A Book That Takes Its Time" by Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst. I highly recommend this book. It encourages and teaches you to slow down and live in the moment. There are many little surprises throughout the book that I just love so much! I will keep them a secret though, because surprises are fun! Just promise me you'll buy this book! It's pretty incredible. This is not an AD by the way, just sharing the love.
Here's the letter I wrote:
Dear Danielle,
Be kind to yourself. Slow down. Be patient. Drink more water. Stop to smell the flowers. Laugh at the little things. Be yourself. Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Don't over explain. Don't let mean people get to you. Live in each moment. Take your time. Write more. Let the kids see your silly side. Don't be afraid to do new things. Don't hold back your tears. It's OK to cry. Be brave. Go back to school. Don't be intimidated by people. Look for the good in every situation. Try to smile more. Be warm. Stop trying to be perfect. Let go of everything you cannot control. Say yes to the kids more. Try new things. Love with all you have. Smile at everyone. Help people as much as you can. Push yourself. Figure out who you are & be that, fully.
I wrote this letter with the intention of keeping it to myself. But I want to work on being more real with you guys. Show my truest self. My struggles. My failures. Everything.
This letter may seem pretty generic to an outsider looking in. But there is a reason that many of these phrases are well, phrases. They are simple, and to the point. And that's the direction I want to go in, in my life. I am working on keeping things simple. Being true to myself. And everything I wrote is something I want/need to work on. That sounds sad when I say it out loud, or type it, rather. But its true. I have learned some things about myself recently that I want to change. Being a mother of 7, I am stressed, or intense a lot of the time. I am always cleaning, cooking, cleaning, teaching, helping, cleaning, cooking, and on to the next task. And I am finding that makes me intense. And the kids feel my energy. And it makes them intense. I really, more than anything right now, want to work on living in the moment, instead of constantly preparing for the next one.