Mantras

Wikipedia defines the word mantra as a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of 'creating transformation.'" It has its roots in Buddhism and has a much deeper more spiritual meaning that I don't understand or want to go into right now.

For me, a mantra is something you say over and over to yourself or to someone else in order to focus or to convince yourself something is true. Probably not really a mantra, but whatever.

That's not really my point. (I might eventually get there...)

A good one that has recently come up is on my new favorite show, Parenthood. When Zeke Braverman, a newbie to therapy, gets upset, instead of blowing up at the offending person (usually his wife and/or kids), he takes a deep breath and says, "I hear you. I see you."

So funny. My mom and Matthew and I, who all love this show, have taken to saying that to each other.

I hear you. I see you.

I'm sure that most mantras are supposed to be general, like the one above, that just about anyone could say.

I like my mantras a little more personal.

It's no secret that I'm not really a girly girl. I don't really like to shop. But sometimes I just want things. A few years ago, going shopping on vacation with Matthew, I could just sense that I was going to be tempted to splurge. I made Matthew take a pledge to say to me throughout the day, "Angela. You don't. Need. Shoes." Because I really didn't. At all. And I needed him to remind me of that in my moment of weakness.

It worked well! Except that he has taken me so literally that he still says that to me when I really do need shoes. But seriously, whenever he senses that I am wanting to spend money on something frivolous or just because, he says to me, no matter what it is I want to buy, "Angela. You don't. Need. Shoes." And it reminds me that I don't need to buy whatever it is. Darn it.

Today, I thought of two new mantras for myself.

I need to write them on a notecard and put them on my wall so I can be reminded of them every day.

My first mantra is this:

Take a shower. Fix your hair. Put on a bra and some jeans.

Seriously, y'all. Most days, I go nowhere. At all. Especially now that it's so flippin' cold. And I am in the process of training for my first 5K. We have no treadmill (it died), so, quite often, I have to wait until late afternoon/early evening to run. Who wants to shower and fix your hair when you're going nowhere all day, and you plan to run later? I usually just stay in my sweats and frump around all day. It is hard to find time to shower when I'm home by myself with all three of our hooligans.

But when I do? The difference is amazing. It's so much easier to do dishes for the 434th time or wipe up crumbs or scoop the cat litter or straighten up the toys or clean up poop when you're clean and your hair is fixed.

And by fixed I just mean blown dry w the hair dryer. My hair air dries very poorly and looks just as dirty when it air dries as it does when it's truly dirty. True story. Just ask my lovely husband who pointed that out to me awhile back.

I hear you. I see you.

My second mantra is this:

No matter how much you don't want to or think he doesn't need it, put a diaper cover on Benjamin.

I think that one pretty much speaks for itself.

And I leave you with a cute video I shot yesterday in my kitchen floor.

This is what I do all day. I hang out. With these cool kids that God has given me.

**Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of the page!**