Today I had the privilege to go to the gym. To try and breathe away all the thoughts in my head about kids, work, friends, my self discovery.
I know it can’t just be the endorphins that really help the positivity settle in me. I like myself more after I’ve worked out, as if I deserve a pat on the back. It’s weird…because seriously, who cares. If I’m at the gym or not, who is going to know? Then it dawned on me: it is a moment of getting the control back. Me taking the decision and acting upon it. And then me achieving the goal. Success!
Parenting hardly ever awards you with the successful sticker. Opinions of success is expressed and experiences are shared, but no one with one standard code of parenting can award or grade you. Therefore, I believe, we “keep calm and carry on”. We look for places to be successful to get the sticker. Our careers, our relationships, our faith.
This brings me to the journey of self discovery I am in. It sounds quite simple, but it is not. Getting to know, accept or even like yourself can be a very demanding project. The result being that you automatically start to question the motives of everything you do. Self dialogue and God dialogue is triggered constantly.
As a parent I need to know myself, and why I react in certain ways. If I understand myself more clearly I can parent my children and teach them understanding. I can check myself, relax more in certain areas and give more in others. If I acknowledge myself more, maybe I can see the achievement in my way of parenting and hand out the sticker myself.
All of these thoughts could be conceptualized in my gym session. Thank you that I could share it with you.
If you do not gym or like exercise I urge you to find your thing. Be it arts, gardening, maintenance work, sowing whatever.
Regard yourself.
Listen and enjoy!
Written by Johanni Meiring
Johanni Meiring 