Tag: wellness

Friday Exhale: 51 Years, 2 Years of Words, and Still Standing

by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation


Whew. Take a deep breath with me.
This week brings a quiet moment of reflection as I celebrate my 51st birthday—and mark almost two full years of sharing my heart on this blog. Looking back over where I’ve been and where I am standing today, only one phrase truly fits: I am still here.
Making it to 51 is an incredible, humbling blessing. Life hasn’t been a smooth, polished path; it has been full of real, sharp highs and deep, heavy lows. But sitting here on the other side of those seasons, my heart is overflowing with gratitude.
I look at my life and see a landscape rich with love. I am blessed with a wonderful, supportive husband who stands beside me, incredible children who make me proud every single day, and precious grandchildren who bring endless joy to my world. On top of that, I’m standing on the threshold of exciting new business opportunities, watching hard work turn into real progress.
Through every trial, health scare, and triumph, my family and my faith have been the anchor.
So as this week comes to a close, I’m stepping into the weekend not focused on the weariness of the journey, but on the joy of the destination. Here’s to 51 years of life, two years of shared words, and a future full of promise.
Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.

August, Transitions, and a New Beginning

by Mothersense, posted in This Life



Welcome to August. There is a shift in the air today, a distinct change in the season’s rhythm. For many, August marks the ultimate month of transitions. Around here, everyone is gearing up for the whirlwind of back-to-school season. Parents are checking off school supply lists, preparing for the upcoming Texas tax-free weekend, mapping out trips to Back-to-School Fairs, and rushing around for sports physicals. The entire community is collectively leaning into the preparation for a brand-new school year.
It is a season defined by clean slates, fresh notebooks, and new beginnings.
But for me, August brings a completely different layer of celebration and reflection: it is officially the beginning of my birthday month!
Turning a year older right alongside this collective community reset feels incredibly fitting. As a former classroom teacher, the energy of a new school year is practically woven into my DNA. Even though my daily schedule looks different now, that “new notebook” feeling never truly leaves you. It’s a reminder that no matter what kind of physical limitations, pauses, or unexpected health hurdles the previous months have thrown our way, August arrives with an invitation to start fresh.
A birthday month in a season of transition is the perfect excuse to evaluate where we are going and how we want to get there. It’s a time to celebrate another trip around the sun, to honor the roots that keep us steady, and to confidently look forward to the chapters yet to be written.
Whether you are frantically labeling school supplies, adjusting to a new family schedule, or celebrating a personal milestone of your own this month, let’s embrace the transition. Let’s welcome the new beginnings, the fresh energy, and a month dedicated to celebrating growth.
Happy August, everyone. Let’s make it a beautiful one.

The Friday Freedom Exhale

by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation, This Life



We are hitting the release valve again today. No alphabet lessons, no self-improvement frameworks, and absolutely no expectations. Just a deep, collective breath heading into the weekend.
I’m calling today the Friday Freedom Exhale.
When you are someone who is used to operating at full capacity, the hardest part of navigating a forced health pause or carrying heavy grief isn’t just the physical limitation—it’s the mental trap. We tell ourselves that if we aren’t working on our big, full-steam-ahead plans, then we must be strictly resting. We turn rest into a chore, a rigid box we have to stay inside of so we can heal.
But true freedom doesn’t live in a rigid box.
So today, consider this your official, unfiltered permission slip to do exactly what your spirit needs this weekend—whether that means doing all the things or absolutely nothing at all.
If your body is finally feeling a spark of energy and you want to bake a mess of bread, dive into a creative project, or deep-clean the kitchen because that is what puts your mind in order—do it. Do all of it with joy, and don’t feel guilty for “wasting” your resting energy.
And if your body or your heart looks at the weekend and says, “I cannot move,” then let the dishes pile up. Leave the projects right where they are. Lie on the couch, turn on a favorite crime drama, and do completely, beautifully nothing.
Freedom is knowing that you don’t owe anyone a predictable pace. You are allowed to ride the waves of your own capacity. You can be a force of nature on Saturday and completely still on Sunday.
Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw. The weekend is here, and the choice is entirely yours. Let’s exhale.

D is for Duality & Doubt: The Monday Morning Backlash

by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation, This Life



Last week, we waded through the thick of the chaos. We stood face-to-face with the friction of the empty space—that deeply uncomfortable territory where we intentionally stop rushing, clear out the noise, and force ourselves to just sit with the quiet.


If you tried to hold that empty space over the weekend, you know exactly how brutal it is. I personally kept my laptop closed and worked on some things around the house, cleaning, rearranging, and spent some time with my husband. I baked a chocolate cake Sunday afternoon that didn’t quite turn out how I had hoped. But it was a learning experience.


And as the laptop lid lifts open this Monday morning, a brand-new monster is waiting for us.
Welcome to Duality and Doubt.


Once you choose to clear out the chaos, your brain doesn’t just automatically hand you a crown of peace. Instead, a massive internal friction sets in. We find ourselves living a double life inside our own heads.
One version of you—the wise, grounded version—knows deep in your bones that protecting your space is a matter of survival. But the other version, the one conditioned by a world that demands a constant production line, stands over you whispering that your stillness is a failure.


The moment the weekly schedule kicks into gear, these two versions collide, bringing a swift, heavy wave of doubt.
You open the inbox, you look at the tasks ahead—the insurance training and compliance updates, the lesson plans to map out, the physical home to maintain—and the second-guessing begins. Did I lose ground by slowing down? Am I already behind? Did I actually earn the right to breathe?


We are so hooked on constant motion that when we finally create an empty space, we treat it like a crime we have to pay for on Monday morning. We feel the urge to sprint out of the gate at a million miles an hour, frantically overcompensating just to prove we are still worthy.


But true reclamation isn’t about clearing the chaos on Friday just to drown in the doubt on Monday.
The duality we have to master this week is learning how to hold onto our internal stillness while we do the work. It is knowing you can be deeply productive without being frantic.


As you step into the demands of this week, don’t let the Monday morning backlash trick you into running a race you weren’t meant to run. The work will always be there, but your peace belongs to you. Pace yourself today.

Did the doubt hit you the second you opened your screen this morning? How is your brain trying to make you pay for the empty space you kept this weekend?

The Becoming : Pride in the midst of chaos

by Mothersense, posted in This Life

Both Things Can Be True

This past week felt like a culmination of so many moments for my niece.

She is my older sister’s only child, and she is truly a gem of a human—kind, smart, hardworking, and quick with a perfectly timed sassy comeback when the moment calls for it. It’s her senior year, and with that comes all the lasts of high school, not just for her, but for her mom too. Anyone who has parented a senior knows those endings hit in unexpected ways.

My niece is a 4-H and FFA gal, a band kid, and a Girl Scout. Through these programs she has learned responsibility, leadership, grit, creativity, and how to show up even when things are hard. I am so incredibly proud of her accomplishments. At her last county show, she earned Reserve Champion with pickled beets (yes—pickled beets!), and her market broilers made the sale. Those are not small wins. They are the result of years of early mornings, late nights, dirty boots, careful planning, and persistence.

Another “last” arrived quietly when I had the chance to talk with my sister about what comes next for her baby—her everything. And make no mistake, this kid has options. Several schools have already accepted her, and some came with scholarship packages. That is huge. That is exciting. That is the payoff for all those years of busyness and commitment.

It sent me straight back in time to my own years as a mom with kids who showed. The careful choosing of recipes. The guarding of certain ones like state secrets (banana butter, I’m looking at you). The pride of watching your kids take ownership of their work. Even my two older daughters—without any guidance from me—entered items and won prizes. There is something deeply satisfying about watching your children surprise you with who they are becoming.

All of that nostalgia, love, and pride has been swirling around me this week… while my own life looks a bit like a shit show.

Our water heater quit and is limping along on a temporary fix after days without hot water. I’m dealing with a kidney infection and a pharmacy run that couldn’t come soon enough. Our car is broken down and has a flat tire. My husband had a job lined up, attended orientation, only to be told days later that the position had already been filled. And just to round things out, I sliced my fingers open trying to pry a tin can (yes, I absolutely should know better), which earned me an ER visit, a tetanus shot, glued fingers, a wrapped thumb, and the loss of a good portion of my thumb pad. Goodbye thumbprint.

And yet—both things can be true.

I can feel immense love and pride for my niece and her accomplishments while my own world feels messy, loud, painful, and frustrating. I won’t fall into woe is me. This is my life. It is complicated and exhausting and sometimes downright ridiculous. There are days I want to strangle someone (figuratively… mostly). But then there are days when I glance in the rearview mirror and realize how far I’ve come.

I’ve survived every single thing I thought would break me.
That survival rate? 100%.

Am I the same person I once was? Absolutely not. But isn’t that the point? Life is about the becoming. About collecting skills, wisdom, scars, and stories. About learning how to stand back up. About making the world a little better where we can—just like my lovely niece is already doing.

And yes, you’d better believe I can still recite the 4-H pledge, parts of the FFA Creed, and the Girl Scout Promise.

Here’s to the becoming in 2026.
Love and light, y’all 🕯️