In my parent’s birthday card this year, my mother wrote: “…it’s a lot and we see how you try to do it all with careful thought, integrity, kindness and love.” And I cried. It felt so good to be seen. So often, we plough, trudge, sprint, or crawl along, doing our best, and it feels like no one in the world notices our efforts. But there’s so much power in having our efforts noticed…and even more power in noticing them ourselves.
Because, even if your mother does notice you, if you are still wearing blinders to your own struggles and victories, her noticing won’t truly penetrate. Nobody’s will. Not Mom’s and not 2.6million followers on Instagram. Noticing ourselves brings us back to the little person who knew she was a human-mess worthy of love, joy and tenderness, it reminds us that there’s a person under all this doing.
