Our Kind Of Crazy
Some may think crazy is not an appropriate word to use to describe one’s family. But, I am here to tell you that my family holds the title of CRAZY with complete respect and joy! We are constantly on the go. Relaxing is not in our vocabulary. We embrace every experience full heartedly. And while we do sit back from time to time to take in the AWESOMENESS of what we are witnessing, we never take our time on this planet for granted. Experiencing life to the fullest is one of the greatest life lessons we want to pass down to our kids! Never choose just one career. Never choose just one experience per year. Never relive the same experience, always explore new adventures. That is the Steele kind of crazy. Jump in. Grow. Fail. Learn. Jump in again. And with that constant cycle, we accept OUR KIND OF CRAZY.
Getting Passed The Anxiety
Did I just make your heart start racing when I said don’t choose just one career?!! Believe me, I completely understand the massive rush of anxiety! Multiple kids, an unpredictable spouse, and trying to upkeep everything from the house, to the animals, to the cars, and of course the forever shifting schedule. Just breathe…it is doable, and I’m living proof!!
Never take full control of your life. Calendars are going to change (A LOT!). Not to mention, when you have too much control you become over consumed with every aspect of life being on time, on schedule, and perfect…which will never happen. Life is messy and chaotic!
The more you embrace the idea of living on the waves, the sensation of drowning becomes absent.
So many times we claim that “I am getting back into my flow!” Or, “I’m getting back into the groove!” STOP. Routines are for babies to figure out sleep schedules. Change the routine. You do not have to live the same life as your friends or neighbors. You have to LEARN how to live a lifestyle that works for YOUR family. I recently stopped caring about bed times in our house. That’s not to say I don’t care how much my kids sleep. I used to be so strict on the “idea” that my kids HAD to be in bed by a certain time because “others might think I’m an irresponsible mom. “ Well, as you can imagine this “idea” would make me get so tense and stressed out that I would start yelling, and I stopped enjoying bed time with my kids (which is such an amazing time to spend with your kids!!) They get better rest now then they did before because everyone (especially mom) is calm enough to settle into bed.
Don’t just throw all rules and boundaries out the window. Just be ok with the fact that life is like riding a surf board in the ocean. Some waves are huge, some are small, and with every wave we have to adjust our stance in order to stay on top. And when we fall off, jump right back on.
Down Time
Not quite sure I know the actual sensation of what “Down Time” is! And ya know what, that’s ok. I have learned to take my “mental breaks” when I need them. But, I have also found a certain kind of harmony with my chaos. It’s almost as if the constant motion of my household has created a calming rhythm within me. Not everyone needs “Down Time”. Rick has said many times that he finds constant motion a meditative state for him. I completely understand where he is coming from. It’s not that we never sit down. We do watch movies, we do get massages, we do go on amazing vacations. But, we consider all these experiences to be enjoyed. I never want “Down Time”. Why would we seek “Down Time”…we should be always eagerly going after “Up Time”. Time that will enhance our life for the better. Make us recharge, reset, and possibly look at life in a perspective we never thought of before. Life is a constant motion towards growing UP, not growing down. Don’t stress yourself with setting aside time for “Down Time”. Just take mental breaks when you NEED them. Or, if you must be the energizer bunny to feel stable, please by all means, keep going.
But Why?
Why can’t we all just move to Hawaii, lay in a hammock on the beach, sip on a Man Tai, and chill? Why do we have to constantly be stressed out, and on edge? No one told you that you had to live that way. Take the stress, or drop it. But, if you constantly walk away from stress, you will never find any true experiences of life. LIFE is stress. Think about it. Our first main event is intense and full of screaming: BIRTH. It just gets better after that. Yes, I said stress gets better!! I have learned to LOVE stress. It makes my mind warp down different avenues that I have never thought to explore. If I never accepted the stress of Rick being a full on athlete, I would have never embraced the opportunity to learn about nutrition as much as I have. If I didn't accept the stress of my brother committing suicide, I never would have jumped into the research I did on mental health. If I didn’t accept the stress of bearing my kids for 9 months, I would have never given birth to 3 amazing miracles!
Stress is an amazing gift that we need to accept if we are ever to reach our highest potential. We are going to fail, we are going to experience hardship, we are going to be surrounded by chaos, and we are going to learn to LOVE it. Or, we will fall into the ocean of anxiety and depression, and drown. It is a harsh truth that some may never come to know throughout life. Embracing EVERY experience (good and bad), opens your world to so many possibilities you could never imagine.
But How
There is no cookie cutter way of running a household. Each home is filled with its own kind of chaos. And in this chaos is beautiful memories, intense breakthroughs, massive celebrations, and experiences to last throughout all of our lifetimes. You can pay as many experts as you want to come in and attempt to “organize” your household. Great, go for it. But, no one knows your chaos like you do. My only suggestion (which is what finally clicked for me) is to sit and survey what your “crazy” is. Find the system that works for you, and be flexible. Know in your mind that at the end of the day, it wasn’t perfect, but it was YOURS. Only your house can create what you produced that day. Take ownership of how stressful your life is, hug that stress, and thank it! Trust me, stress is the greatest blessing you will receive throughout your life. Experience anything and everything that is thrown at you. That’s how you manage your kind of crazy!
