Mom identity

I have been doing a lot of thinking about who I am lately. For the past few years I have been a mother and that became my identity. After spending the last two years pregnant then nursing, then nursing and pregnant then so pregnant I wanted to die then nursing preemie twins I started getting really depressed. I felt bad that I was depressed because I had been blessed with four beautiful children. What did I have to be sad about? This got me thinking about the fact that being a mother was only a part of my identity and in order to thrive personally, I needed to also seek out and nurture the other parts of my identity.

I am a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend. I am a free spirit that loves adventure, music, writing, reading, singing, dancing, hiking, traveling... Once I started remembering all of the things that make me me, I started to feel better and be more patient in my daily life. One of the simplest things I have found to do is to listen to music and dance and sing with my kids. It is hard to be sad with an upbeat song playing. I love listening to songs from my college days because it reminds me of the hope and carefree attitude I had before life got to me. I am wiser now than I was, but that doesn't mean I can't live with hope and a more carefree attitude.

My goal now is to not forget me. Motherhood isn't the end of my journey, it is just the beginning and I can't wait to see where life takes me.