If you were to look inside my text messages and DMs, you’d see notes from a very specific group of people. My people, as I call them (especially on days when I’m feeling especially vulnerable and chaotic, who are there with an overflowing cup of solidarity and coffee to support me).
Mom friends.
Mom friends, I’ve learned over the last 8 years, aren’t just friends who also have kids. They’re the ones who laugh through the blowouts your kid just had, leaving a literal poopstorm of a mess.
They’re the ones who sit next to you on your couch and help you power through that mound of laundry.
They’re the ones who talk through the nights of sleep training disasters and stick with you through the coughs, sneezes, vomiting, ear infections, and goose eggs that form on your kid’s head when they discover they’re too tall to run underneath a countertop.
They pour some bubbles for you in their car before heading into Kindergarten graduation because they see your messy tears and love you even harder in those moments.
They’re the ones who you’ll drop anything for to do a bring-your-own-board party in the midst of the most chaotic and overwhelming season of the year because they’re your calm.
^^ Actual picture of a feast I had with some of those friends a few weeks ago.
They’ve supported me through:
Worries about whether I was making the right schooling decisions for my boys as we shifted from private, to public, to now homeschool.
Moments when I felt guilty I wasn’t feeding my kids as healthy as I should or entertaining them as much as I should or giving them everything I should.
Long stints of solo parenting while my husband traveled.
Wrangling thoughts through confusing conversations.
Impromptu playdates when I was ready to lose my mind.
But here’s the thing — our conversations aren’t always about our kids or the wild journey of motherhood.
They’re more about how to not lose ourselves in the process of raising tiny humans and being the example they need in this unpredictable world.
The moms I tend to surround myself with aren’t moms who binge-watch reality TV while their kids are at home. They’re moms like me who binge-watch reality TV and true crime while also working to build a side hustle that supports family adventures. It’s the whole have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too situation that I live for!
In recent months, our conversations have drifted between sicknesses and celebrations during the crazy holiday season to also career and personal growth.
And if I can toot my own horn for a sec — this is where I SHINE. If there’s something I’m good at, it’s kicking my friends in the pants in the most loving way by offering:
Reminders that their voice matters and that the stories they’re sharing with me in private deserve a life out in the wild.
Faith-based conversations when life throws some pretty gnarly curveballs (like layoffs, illness, and even longer stints with husbands away from home).
To hold up a mirror so they can see just how crazy and valuable their talents are while encouraging them to claim the title of entrepreneur.
Ways to uncover the voice inside of them that’s eager to come out but just isn’t sure how, it defaults to a “just the facts” style, which isn’t grabbing anyone’s attention.
And those conversations made me realize that my people in the private world are also my people in the “real” world.
If you’ve wanted to take the ideas that are percolating in your mind while you sip that morning cup of coffee and turn them into something that serves you and your family rather than drains your emotional energy, LISTEN UP!
Life isn’t something to loathe and loaf through. It’s not meant to feel like some crazy hamster wheel that leaves you in a rut of a routine.
It’s about doing something you LOVE and in many cases, also getting paid for that effort, time, and talent. To do that requires you to show up, take up space, and give your ideas room to run wild (hence my newsletter name change to Wild Words).
Making money is a product of showing up and breathing your story in the right place.
And isn’t that a mindset shift away from the traditional complex organizational systems, job titles, corporate ladders, and other antiquated ways of earning a living.
It’s time to free yourself! Get hungry to help others. Do what thrills you. Accept the adventure that God has placed on your heart as an invitation to live your damn life to the fullest!
None of what you’ll earn will come from luck. Instead, it’ll come from freeing those ideas out of your head and onto the screen. It’ll come from bravely sharing what you’re working on and using your wisdom to improve the lives of others. It’ll come from courageously hitting send on emails with faith that the right people will hear what you have to offer and come running in your direction.
And the by product of showing up more fully for yourself and your family at the same time?
You get to take that life of freedom and excitement wherever you go, making it so much more fun to live, work, and play through all the chaos and unexpected situations life throws your way.