Show Your Real: Lindsay F.

It's taken me a little bit to get into my 2014 groove, but I'm excited to share the first Show Your Real guest post of the year! Lindsay is one of those women that doesn't just talk the real talk, (which would be encouraging on its own!) she also walks the real walk. She has a very low tolerance for…well…B.S., I think she would be bold enough to say, and I love that about her. To know her, is to know the real her, and I love having a friend with such low walls, and such an open heart. 

(p.s. In an effort to simplify things around here, and by here, I mean, my crazy life…Show Your Real posts will now be once a month. There are some fabulous guest writers lined up, and I'm grateful for another year of learning and supporting, and getting real with one another. Thank you for being a part of it!)

------------------------------------- 

Mother. WIFE. wine. FRIENDSHIP. laughter. Love. TRuTH. jesus.

My name is Lindsay. I’m a mother of two children. Nico turned three in August. Selah turned two in September. I stay at home with the kids, dabble with some consulting and try my darndest to maintain order in a world filled with chaos, pooped diapers and toddler mood swings. I have a wonderful network of women in my life, some are moms and some are not. I write a blog, when I can. And I am a pretty honest, direct person so being asked to “show my real” was an honor, more so than something to be intimidated by. Those who know me well know I’d rather emotionally vomit to a group of strangers than let a friend see my house a wreck, so I find it ironic, that Courtney’s request for me to guest write, came a time when my house was falling apart, among other things.

So here goes, SHOWING MY REAL...

I’ve been forced to relocate to my parent’s house for a sleepover, because our hot water heater broke two days ago and I haven't been able to shower. I'm gross. My kids are even dirtier because, truth be told, I didn't bathe them the day before the water heater broke. When the plumber finally comes, it will be glorious; we may never leave the bathtub!

Sometimes things happen. Unexpected, unpredictable, and annoying things happen. And sometimes bad things happen in bad timing...

Like when I finally committed to losing weight the other week and then I attended a "must go to" event where the only thing served was sausage and potatoes. Life got a little off track after that (in the diet arena). Life is full of untrackable, unavoidable temptations.

Or like when my two year old diaper-less daughter popped a squat on my three year old's pillow yesterday. (Keep in mind, WE HAVE NO HOT WATER!) Life got interesting cleaning that up. Life is full of interesting clean-ups.

Or like when my husband completed grad school with honors and was, and still is, unable to find a job in his field, for going on almost two years. Life gets complicated in the wait. Life is full of waiting for tomorrow's potential.

Or like when my last remaining grandparents died this summer, within seven weeks of each other. The temporal of life got real after that. Life is full of hard realities.

I'm a planner. And I like my stuff in its place. On time. But sometimes, more often than not, life is filled more with the unplanned and unpredictable, more so than the simple and scheduled. Life is most lived in-between events.

Like in the car with the kids going between one place and the next, teaching them Christmas carols and the pledge of allegiance, laughing at missed words and singsong recitations of Up On The Housetop. Regardless of where we are going or what errand we’re driving to next, there's nothing more important than staying in that moment, radio off, laughing with them.

Or like hugs from little ones in the midst of adult grief, questions and doubts. Their precious, unknowing hands and hearts warm the coldest moments. And for a minute, between stresses, there's nothing more important than returning that love.

Or like dates with my husband, where laughter and the carefree people we used to be rear our gregarious heads and we are free of worry for just a little while. There's nothing more important than, in between the cares of the day (or years), laughing with the person I fell in love either all those years ago.

Or like when the hot water broke and we had to relocate to my parents' house. I can't finish this section yet, because it's still broken. But the beauty of life can be found knowing, something awesome WILL happen even in this inconvenience, even in this unplanned and unpredictable, in-between hot water heater moment.

I'm learning not to get stuck in the past or the future. I’m learning that life is the stuff in between. Even when it absolutely sucks. I’m working on reminding myself that my kids won't always be wrecking my organized shelves or eating cheerios off the floor. I’m trying to focus on the reality that this (stage in life/grief process/financial weight/water heater problem) too shall pass.

To get comfortable with the in-betweens, take intentionality and practice. To try and laugh at the unexpected, unpredictable, and annoying things that happen, is a discipline.

Gotta run! The plumber is headed to my house and I need to meet him there. Hot water is-a comin'!! (see, that wasn’t so bad!)

------------------------------------- 

Show Your Real is a series of guest posts centered around the concept of authenticity. The goal is to encourage each other to expose the reality of our lives- good and bad- and to foster a sense of community that goes beyond the often suface-cy interactions of social media. We invite all of you to participate! Please comment, link, and hashtag to spread the showyourreal love. If you would like to contribute a guest post in this series, please email me!