I think there are certain ways that people are always themselves, but I do think people change. -Mike White

I’m sure you’ve heard that you should never try to change someone, but what if that person used to be loving and kind and has changed into a destructive jerk? Shouldn’t you try to change them back to who they once were?

Yes, you should, and here’s why.

I am that person. Most of you don’t know it, but I lost control of my priorities and became a distant, grumpy, tired, shell of a person. Not all the time, unless you were fortunate enough to be one of the people who really love me; then you had meanest Momo every day.

My husband tried to tell me, but I thought it was impossible to shift my priorities from where they were; work, kids (which encompasses driving, sports, cooking, homework, doctors and more), house, laundry, blog, husband. Lucky guy, that one.

But, a couple of months ago I had a breakthrough, or what a therapist told me was “an awakening.”

Even though I thought there was NO WAY I could give any more of myself, in any capacity, I intentionally shifted my priorities. INTENTION being the key component of what I’m about to tell you, so make sure you see that word and soak it in.

I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N.

I intentionally made changes.

Work was still my #1 priority, but only during working hours and occasional overtime, like yesterday. During non-working hours, my husband went into the #1 slot, then kids, house, laundry and blog.

Sometimes laundry fell into the last slot, which is why we ran out of underwear, but I never waivered from keeping everything else in its rightful place. And, you know what? It wasn’t even that hard.

As a matter of fact, I started enjoying the heck out of my husband again and that carried over into how I interact with my children. I became nicer. Calmer. More peaceful.

Okay, that last one is a total lie. I’ve been grinding my teeth like crazy and I’ve HAD to start running again out of mental necessity, but I’m not taking out my frustrations on the people I care about more than anything.

I feel like my old self again. I uncovered the person who was buried under a pile of resentment, anger, jealousy and ego.

And, that change feels really good.

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These people. These goofy, blurry, imperfect people to my right are what make my life sane, clear and ideal. Okay, not sane exactly, but they do keep my head on straight. They are my purpose. My gift.

They are why I get out of bed every morning and wash dishes every night. They are why I’m buried in laundry and, occasionally, smothered with love. They are my everything.

Is that healthy? Probably not. But, I don’t care. All of my eggs are in this kooky basket of misfits and I’m fine with it. Before a concerned reader emails me and tells me I’m not living my life right, let me say that I take care of me too. I started running again, I hit the gym a few times a week, I write, I took a painting class, I started coloring thanks to a generous gift of Coloring Animal Mandalas from my friend, Melisa – so, I’m not neglecting myself.

But, those people up there? They lift me up and they keep me grounded at the same time. And, you can’t ask for a better atmosphere than that.

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Every year, around October 25th, I lose my mind a little. Maybe it’s the impending, scary holiday, the change of seasons, or the fact that National Blog Posting Month is right around the corner.

Yeah, it’s the latter.

Once again, I have made the commitment to blog every day for the month of November. This includes Thanksgiving, because who doesn’t have time to roast a turkey, bake a pumpkin pie from scratch, host dinner, and whip up a witty conversation piece? *points at self* *THIS GIRL*

The reason is not because I have a lot to say, but rather because I don’t. This is the greatest exercise for blog writing that I’ve ever known and as I get older and wiser (but, mostly older) I’ve come to realize that if you don’t work to strengthen something, it will atrophy.

So here I am, on day one, scrambling to get a post up after 11:00pm. Oh boy. It’s going to be a rough 30 days! I hope you’ll be along for the ride.

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How did my National Blog Posting Month challenge end up? Well, I wouldn’t dare commit to another month of posting every day – at least not until November, 2014. I missed two days this year, and one time I posted fifteen minutes late, but this was still a personal record for me; the longest NaBloPoMo run I’ve ever had.

It seems inconceivable that I would skip the last day and again yesterday, but twice in the past couple of months I’ve had pieces of paper shoved in my general direction with pretty pie charts which discuss life balance. I have taken that as a hint that I need to pay closer attention to how my time is divided.

My husband gets almost the same amount of time as prayer, so he has that going for him.

Granted, some of these sections overlap. My kids really cover the whole pie, because my life revolves around their existence. Period. Also, I would say that my immensely satisfying work is part social, part self-care and part financial, and because my husband and I work out together my time with him trickles into the section of exercise. Sweat is totally romantic.

But, this weekend when the opportunity arose for me to spend time with family instead of working or otherwise sitting in front of a computer screen – I took the chance and ran with it. Sure, there were projects to work on, laundry to do, and my kids would probably appreciate it if I’d go buy some milk and cereal, but those things can wait. At least until we run out of underwear and bagels.

So, yeah, I didn’t post on the last day of November and I skipped right over the first day of December, but that’s okay. I’m trying to even out my pie.

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