I realized this weekend that the Covid babies (mine included) are graduating from kindergarten. I remember quite clearly how absolutely terrified I was 6 years ago. The mix of fear and being at my physical breaking point turned me into a shell of myself.

At the time, I lied to myself (and everyone else) because it was simply too much for me to acknowledge that I was not ok (was anyone?!). I am an eldest daughter after all. I have, for the majority of my life, always been “fine.” I could not fall apart the second I brought a child into this world, in front of an audience of my own making.

Eventually I did unravel (and spent the last few years putting myself back together). As I found my way back to myself, I discovered how much of my unhappiness came from my inability to live in the present. I spent years chasing the next thing (brand deals, followers, money, renovations, stuff). I forgot how to exist in my own life.

Eventually I realized the moments that made my life beautiful and fulfilling were the ones I was so quick to overlook. Wendell Berry wrote, “It is no more possible to live in the future than it is to live in the past. If life is not now, it is never.”

As my Covid baby graduates from kindergarten, I’m beyond grateful for the simple joys that exist in my life, and the ability to experience it as it comes. It’s not always easy, but that’s not really the point 😉