Jason’s been reading The New Toughness Training for Sports by James Loehr. You might think a book about “toughness” is about how athletes tolerate more pain and discomfort during training or competing. But it’s not, toughness is about athletes performing their best because their needs are being met—physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
Jason and I are true believers that, just like elite athletes, our best parenting happens when our needs are being met—when we are rested, fed, present, thoughtful and not fearful that our child will become damaged.
What can you do today to care for yourself so that you can be an elite parent? You may need to let go of something to care for yourself—guilt, fear, desire for perfection, or an impossibly high standard that you’ve set for yourself.
I’m reading Paulo Coelho’s Manuscript Found in Accra. He writes (emphasis is mine), “For the first time, I will smile without feeling guilty because joy is not a sin. For the first time, I will avoid anything that makes me suffer, because suffering is not a virtue. I will not complain about life, saying, ‘Everything’s always the same and I can do nothing to change it.’ Because I am living this day as if it were my first and, while it lasts, I will discover things that I did not even know were there.”
Tell us what you are going to do to take care of yourself today. It doesn’t have to be something big or grand. Maybe it’s a cup of tea, a few moments of silent mediation, a couple of pages in a journal, a phone call to a friend, asking for help, or accepting help that’s been offered.
And for today may you discover things in yourself that you didn’t even know were there.
Cecilia and Jason
