It's Just a Stage

 

If you’re looking at those tiny squares and feeling discouraged by someone else’s journey, I'm here to remind you that it’s just a stage. 

They will have other stages and so will you. Some are hard. Some feel impossible. Some are glorious and freeing. Some allow for growth, some are heartwarming and some are filled with regret and grief.  Some are driven by other’s needs or desires and some are wholeheartedly yours... and some people are staging the whole thing. 

This memory popped up on my phone today:

I remember it clearly. I was determined to crush a half marathon and two difficult multi-day hiking trips this month. I was living in a different city with no support system and I was home with a 3 year old and a (very screamy) 1 year old. I was running (literally and figuratively) with them every day. This particular day was an actual wreck. I was pushing the kids up a hill in the stroller and they shifted their weight and I injured my hip. 

Badly. 

So badly that I’m still dealing with right side weakness today, 6 years later. 

Today I can afford physio. I can go for a massage. I can fit alone time and outdoor enjoyment into my day without any anxiety for my kids. I can pause and make sure that my time reflects my values. But that took YEARS. In fact, I bet someone glanced out their car window longingly in the minutes before my wreck and thought, "Wow, that mom has it all together." We can set the whole scene as we imagine someone else's story in light of our most humdrum moments. All the world's a stage...

So the next time someone posts a relaxing running selfie or that fitness goal celebration or that baby milestone or that job promotion or whatever it is that you are wistfully wishing for right now, remember: this is just a stage.

If it’s amazing, soak it in. If it’s tough, head down, heart up. Mornings and mercies are always new and you never know what the next act may bring.