What’s Your Mama Mantra?

Sometimes life gets tough and you need a mantra to get you through. In my case, I need three. 

Be Open

My ability to deal with the minor struggles of everyday life revolves around three sanity-saving phrases. “Be Open” was a mantra given to me by my pastor. He translated a piece of scripture for us all and when he repeated “Be Open”, it resonated with me. There are so many places in life where this mantra applies. I adopted it and now let it roll around in my head like a positivity gymnast. There are so many areas in my life that are enhanced by continuing to be open. To me, this signifies being available for new adventures and fertile for new ideas. Living life open at home means I can be looking for new opportunities to have fun with my family. At work, it could mean listening to adults and students in a more considerate and open way, and in my writing life, it pushes me forward to find new challenges for my writing such as committing to Nanowrimo November! “Be open” is a mega mama mantra I’ve adopted, and great things have come from it.

Enjoy Now

If I ever forget that time is moving too fast, I need only to stand next to my 5’11 8th grader. Overnight, my 13-year-old became unrecognizable. I swear he was just my little buddy. Therefore, I remind myself often to “enjoy now”. I love to watch my youngest kids still play make-believe, still think the coolest people in the world are their parents and teachers, and still find comfort in stuffed animals and hot chocolate. And my deep-voiced 8th grader still needs his mom when he’s sick, he still likes to hang out with his dad as they nerd out together talking about space and sports, and he still finds comfort in the traditions our family has during the holidays. I love that about him. I want to enjoy now. These humans are fantastic, and I never want trivial concerns to get in the way of our enjoyment of each other. 

Say Thank You

My final mantra is the most important. I cannot “be open” or “enjoy now” if I don’t acknowledge my blessings. One of my besties is so good about gratitude, especially when things go wrong. Because of her, when my roof leaks, I say, “Thank you for a house to worry about.” When one of my kids’ behaviors is unsavory. After some deep breaths I say, “Thank you for this teachable moment.” When I have a terrible day at work, I try to say, “Thank you for an opportunity to start a new one.” I’m not perfect in this. Sometimes I’m waist deep in self-loathing before I remind myself of this mama mantra. Gratefulness opens me up to receive each day as an opportunity for something great.

If I forget any of these mantras, I need only to look at life like kids do. The minute they wake up, they are open, they are reveling in the “now” and they are excited for what could be coming in the next 24 hours.

What is your “Mama mantra”? What helps you make it through each day? We’d love to know.