The Golden Rule

Towards the end of every summer, it’s inevitable to hear, “I can’t believe the summer is already over.” I’ve never given much thought to this phrase (even though I hear it at least 25 times every single year), but this year it rings true more than ever. This has been the busiest summer of my life. I never planned on it being busy, but when my husband and I sat down in June and looked over his calendar and mine we realized there was ONE weekend from June to August that we had open. The calendar Gods had to have been laughing at us. That being said, it was one of the most rewarding summers of my life, as well.

Looking back I see a summer filled with fun times and great memories, but also one of charity and helping make other people’s lives just a little bit easier. I’ve never been much of one to volunteer for things (I’ve always been THAT lazy), but I found myself saying ‘yes’ to more and more things this summer. I was asked by many how I would find the time, but I did. I’m exhausted, but we made it work. This is by no means a, “hey, look how awesome I am and all the things I did to help others” post. But the joy and satisfaction I feel today, as I type this, is something I want others to find.

Circumstances aligned and I was asked to join the coordinating team for Heroes on the Water Nor-Cal. This group puts veterans and first responders into a kayak, with a guide, and helps them have a stress-free day on the water without any of their normal daily worries. The events are filled with some of the most incredible men and women and I found myself experiencing peace and healing along with them.

Being a mom is a hard job. There’s no denying this. I’ve seen the videos and memes put together showing how much a mom should make given the multitude of jobs she does every single day. But let’s face it, no one’s writing moms a check for $180,000 a year simply for being a mom. It’s stressful, but we get the things done that need to get done and make sure our loved ones are clean and fed. My mom brain never shuts off (as I’m sure is the same with the majority of moms). So it was an incredible moment when I realized that my day helping these Veterans, just sitting and chatting with them and learning about their stories made me (for just a few hours) turn my mom brain off.  In volunteering and offering any amount of help I had to offer, I helped myself. I came home that night revived and ready to face mom duties again even though I had been just as busy as any other day.

Trust me, I’ve heard a million times, “take a break”, “do something for you”, “go out with friends”, “get your nails done,” but never have I once listened to that advice. I always felt things would fall apart and the world would end if I took a day off from it all. Each week I have Tuesdays to myself (thanks to an incredible mother-in-law) but those are my days for catching up on cleaning and laundry. Taking on a commitment of giving back and helping others forced me out of my ‘mom’ role for those few hours once a month and it’s a game changer for me. Who knew that by giving to others I would finally be giving myself something too…a break.