I was young when I got married. Young when I had my first baby. I don’t have any regrets about starting my family young. In fact, I would recommend it to others. But I will be the first to admit that I did have to put my own needs on the back burner for a while when I was a young mother raising a house-full of young kids.
I loved those years. I loved being home with my babies, playing with them on the floor, feeding them their meals before I ate my own, washing, cleaning, cooking. I was fulfilled as a mother.There wasn’t anything else that I would have rather done with my time.
But mothering young children was not always easy. In fact, it was usually very hard. Whether it was struggling with postpartum depression or not getting enough sleep – ever! – or figuring out what to do with my time once my kids started school….being a mom has been an ever-challenging, always-evolving journey.
I am a very different place now. My kids are all in school full time and I am now working full time at home. I have had to adjust to my new circumstances, and as much as I miss the comparitively “simple” days of being a stay-at-home-mom, one thing in particular has helped me both thrive in my situation AND grow as a person.
Creative Energy
When I was asked to chose one of Cerra’s Seven Intentions, universal human virtues – Grounded, Creative Energy, Gratitude, Inspiration, Courage, Wisdom, and Loving Kindness – though the other six intentions were wonderful and inspiring, I knew that Creative Energy was the one that I needed to focus on.
No less than 7 days before my first baby was born, I graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Spanish. However, a decade + after receiving that degree, although I still love young children and teaching, that was not what I needed.
I found that the most important thing for me to “find” myself after my kids got bigger and not so “under-foot” was to explore my creative side.
It was my very new photography hobby that pulled me out of postpartum depression in 2001. It wasn’t the right time to pursue a photography business while I was caring for babies, but I nurtured my love for photography and developed my skills until I had more time to pursue it.
Creative energy has also been the driving force behind my current career as a blogger and managing editor, and it has pulled me through the last 4 years of extreme financial difficulties.
Creativity saves me every day. I know that when I start to feel down, I need to spend some time doing something creative. Sometimes that involves writing. Sometimes I need to pull out my camera more frequently. Other times, it means that I need to turn off my computer and make something with my kids…and my hands. And nothing helps to calm me like grabbing some yarn and creating something crocheted.
Creative energy helps me grow, thrive, and find beauty in my life, even when life is difficult.
PS – PROMO CODE: Enjoy 10% off and free shipping on any-sized first order from the Cerra Boutique! Simply enter code BFCERRA. This offer will expire on December 31, 2011.
I’m curious to know: What has inspired you to grow as a person?
By replying you will be entered to win one of two prizes! First Prize: $150 to a Local Spa, plus $50 Gift Certificate to the CerraBoutique. Second Prize: One of Five $100 Gift Certificate to the CerraBoutique.
Cerra invites you to share your personal journey in the Cerra Online Community. Join today!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cerra. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.
© 2011 – 2013, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
