If the Shoe Fits

My best friend posted a quote on social media a while ago. I don't know who said it, but the quote was,

"You're not overwhelmed. You're lazy and unorganized." 

And wow. How direct and to the point. Some might say it is rude or tactless, but I'm a very direct person and it's exactly what I needed. 

It wasn't directed at me, but it was an "if the shoe fits" kind of situation. And it definitely fit.

I have two boys. Toddlers. They're wild and crazy and keep me on my toes. They exhaust me. It is a lot harder to go do all the things I want to do with them in tow, so I tend to make a lot of excuses.

And I've been putting off all the things I know I need to do in order to be successful in my endeavors. 

This quote, this one simple thing, it has been saving me from myself.

I already knew I was in my own way and lacking in self discipline, but this helped me put in perspective what I need to do on a daily basis to change that.

I'm being more intentional about creating good habits, and doing the things that make me feel good; going for a walk in the morning instead of letting my kids watch cartoons, cooking breakfast immediately instead of putting it off while scrolling social media, checking the horses, letting Tell ride his dang pony, exercising when I put the boys down for a nap, taking my supplements every day, making my bed as soon as I get up, keeping the floor swept and messes picked up as much as possible with my tornadoes. 

They're small things. I was so focused on the big things that I want to, but am unable to do at this point in time, that I forgot the small habits make the biggest difference.

If you're in that place too, I have a little piece of advice. Get out of your own dang way. Write down on a paper the things you should do every day, every week, every month. Shower, get dressed, and put your face on in the morning even if you have nowhere to go. It makes all the difference!

Stop being lazy, and get organized! 

XO, The Cowboy's Wife

That Pivotal Moment

The moment I first felt like a mother...

I wouldn't highlight it as the moment I first felt baby kick.

Or the moment when I first heard that wonderful cry.

Or the moment when they laid my beautiful boy on my chest.

I wouldn't even say it was when we were finally all home as a family.

I recall very early on in my pregnancy, (I was probably 5 or 6 weeks along) I was riding through my father-in-law's field on a colt with my husband. Now, it wasn't a bad colt and he wasn't super green. But I also recall it being the only time I was truly afraid on a horse. He got a little silly about crossing a ditch and I burst into tears.

Tyrell had no idea what to make of this, never having had to worry about me on a horse before.

The difference this time is that I wasn't worried about myself. I was worried about the tiny child growing inside of me, despite the fact the only evidence was a pregnancy test and I'm not sure Ty quite believed it was true! 

That was the moment. 

It was a pivotal moment of huge change in my life, one I will always remember.

My normally fearless, I'll-try-anything-once self had turned into something else entirely.

Suddenly my brain was working overtime thinking of all the things that could go wrong.

That hasn't really stopped since then. Now, I have two little ones to worry about. 

Isn't that what being a mother is all about? Constantly thinking of someone else's needs, worrying about someone else's well being? 

I sometimes miss being able to live in the moment more, to be fearless, to be willing to try anything. But I wouldn't trade my babies, or the person I've become because of them, for the world. 

XO, The Cowboy's Wife

Sedentary Life

If our great-grandparents could time travel to our day and age, I suppose it would be obvious to them why depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are so rampant. Why they appear in such high numbers. Imagine what they would see when observing our daily lives:

A person waking in their home to go to their 9-5, commuting on a crowded freeway in a smoggy city with thousands of others doing the same thing. They spend their day in an office, working for someone else. They then commute home on the same road in the same smog with the same thousands of people. They walk inside and turn on the tv, then go to bed late. 

I wonder if our ancestors look down on us and say, "Don't you do anything else?" 

Most people don't know how to plant a garden. Or raise animals for meat. Or milk a cow. Or hunt. Or do a lot of the basic things our ancestors did that was just a part of their daily survival. They were busy. They were always building, doing, working towards something. They knew exactly their purpose and why they were doing what they were doing.

I wonder if they would look at our past times and wonder why we spend so much time doing...nothing. Watching TV. Scrolling on our phones. Playing computer games. 

People weren't meant to be so dang sedentary. Get out there and find a purpose! Dig in the dirt. Create something. Build something. Set a goal and then work hard to achieve it! Wake up in the morning and cook breakfast, then GO OUTSIDE. Leave the job you hate. There are so many other options. Be brave enough to build yourself a happy life. 

XO, The Cowboy's Wife