This morning I had one of those forehead smacked moments. It actually started with a conversation I had with my son last night before bed. He was asking me about ways that he could become more healthy and more fit. This is something I have been working on myself but have been finding difficult to incorporate into my own life. We talked about changes we could make in our diet, incorporating exercise and as we continued to talk I realized this was a perfect opportunity for me to bring in the changes I have been wanting to make while including my son in the process. So we made a deal. We would get up at 5:00AM, take a 2 mile walk, fix a healthy breakfast and get on with our day.
This morning 4:30 came and I woke up, ready to get started with our plan. I got my son up at 5:00 and we went for our walk. As we were walking, we talked about various things. Iain was his usual jovial self and I found myself relaxed and enjoying the conversation instead of stressing about time and getting everything done as I usually do in the morning. It was wonderful. Taking the time to walk together meant we were spending time together without the distraction of the television, internet, video games and phone calls that usually get in our way. It was exactly what we both needed.
Needless to say the morning flowed beautifully from there. I had time to meditate, get ready, fix a healthy breakfast for both of us. Iain got to school early, which he likes to do, and I got to work early which I like to do. I was energized, relaxed, focused and excited about my day and so was Iain.
The thing is, I understand that children learn best from modeling. I want my son to feel empowered in his own life and understand that he has the capacity to make the changes he wants and to get results. The only way for him to learn that he can do this is to show him, he has to do it. In order for him to do it he needs my help and support. Now I have been able to make all the stupid excuses I want about my own life, I'm too busy, there's not enough time, I'm too tired and all can be justified because I work a lot. But the truth is, they're just excuses and I know it. Do I want my son to learn to make excuses to stay in a place he doesn't wish to be? Of course not. So now I'm motivated to change because the truth is our lives will only change if we make the changes we want.
Would it be better if I could have made these changes on my own behalf? Of course! These are things I've known I needed to do for a while now, but I haven't been doing them. So now, I'm given the opportunity to do so through my son. Make no mistake, I realize this is an opportunity for me as well. The time has come to stop making excuses and to fully embrace this part of my life as well, to move closer to living the life I want to have, to be the person I say I am and from that my son will learn that he can be the person he wishes to be, but I will learn that to.
So tomorrow morning we will wake up at 5:00AM, have another wonderful walk and conversation, a healthy breakfast and another start to a day full of opportunities. These are the changes I've needed to make and the solution came from my son. Out of the mouths of babes...
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