Dream
Dream

I can be a mother and a wife. I can be a dreamer.~ Kristy from Breath of Sunshine

When my husband trained to run his first marathon, he was never asked: Do the kids miss you?  Who watches the kids for you while you train?  He never heard comments like: Your wife and kids must have sacrificed a lot for you to go for your marathon dream. It seemed a given for Chris to reach for his dreams–to go after his goals.  It was accepted.  But for me, the mother of 4, wife and stay-at-home-mom, those questions and comments were the norm.  Whether it was their intention or not, these questions and comments were designed by nature to be dripping with the undertone:don’t you feel guilty?

I often feel like I have had to put my defenses up, to justify my actions to explain away why I dream big and chase after those dreams. And I shouldn’t.    I hope to raise my children to believe they can dream big.  And I pray my daughters will have the confidence to do so guilt free, without having to worry about the judgments of others, especially, especially other mothers.

I recently heard Kathi Lipp speak and her message was loud and clear: It’s OK to chase your dreams, it’s OK to have goals, even if you are– just a mom.  It’s  OK to be a mom and a dreamer.

And yet I want to be careful with what I’m trying to say.  Because so often I read things or hear from other moms–where in order to feel better about their choices, they have to put down others who make choices different from their own.   I don’t ever want to make someone else feel bad for their choices, even if they are different from mine.

I know for some, placing their dreams on hold is what works best for them, for their souls.  And that is best for their families. Others don’t want to wait, and what’s good for their souls is chasing those dreams in the here and now, and that is what is best for their families.  So I want to be careful, and say with love;  if you choose to wait, it’s because you know what is best for you, it doesn’t make you less of a woman.  If you choose to act, it doesn’t make you selfish or less of a mother.

I’m just a mom.  I spend my day cooking meals, cleaning, driving children to and from school, hosting playdates, kissing and bandaging owies, reading books with a lap full of children, helping with homework, doing laundry, grocery shopping, squeezing in my runs and workouts, taking Baby for walks, worrying: am I doing enough? am I raising them right and good?, combing hair, building legos and building up their spirits, cuddling a child of mine who just needs extra love for no other reason than wanting to be in my arms.  Just a mom who spends her days loving her children, just like any other mom.

And I’m a dreamer.  I have running dreams:  to some day run a 100 mile race (but not now, not even soon…even I place dreams on hold), to cross the finish lines of my first two ultra marathons this year, to get faster.  And other dreams: to raise as much money as I can for lung cancer, to build up MyFitFamily to something worthy of being proud of, to write a book, to one day have my dream job once my children are all in school, to start my own charity.  So many dreams and so many more.  Some I’m chasing now and some have to wait.

And now, I can confidently say: No. I don’t feel guilty. Not at all. Because I don’t want to just tell my children to chase their dreams–I want them to see me doing it.  So they really know how important it is to go after what the heart longs for.  How else will they know that it’s OK to dream big unless I stop apologizing and feeling guilty about chasing my own dreams?  I want them to see that a mommy can set goals and achieve them, just like a daddy can.    I want them to feel confident about their choices–whether they choose to act or choose to wait.

I’m a mother.  And a dreamer.

Also published on MyFitFamily.com.

Dear Readers. Since writing this post I did cross those 50 and 52.4 mile finish lines.  Keep dreaming!

 
 
Seen a lot of slim chicks posting their

workouts on here so I thought I'd join 

the fun
Warning : I will bully every one of you

into daily stretches, plyo drills, crazy 

intervals, lifting heavy weights and 

epic long runs
104 °F.....  As my Grandma says, 

"Marathon training ain't for p*ssies."



Crazy old lady is right.

New Featured eBibs

"Do what you love & money will follow". Went for a 5 mile run, ate pizza, drank wine, had a 2-hour nap & took a bath. Now I wait....
You people who have just        one glass of wine...          What's that like?
Unexpected side effect of Taco Tuesday? Wet fart Wednesday.
Sometimes you need a run. Sometimes you need a beer. Sometimes you need both.
The morning after the marathon... I've made it from bed to the couch.  There's no stopping me now !!
Be straight with me Doc.  When you say "broken"  does that mean  I SHOULD  or SHOULD NOT  run my race this  weekend?
You drink too much. You cuss too much. You have questionable morals. You're everything I ever wanted in a running friend.
I keep my hamstrings flexible by doing yoga two or three times a week. And by "doing yoga", I really mean shaving  my legs.
Marathon training, day 57... If I woke up in the morning and nothing hurt, I would think I was dead.
If you think I'm bitchy now, you should see me when I miss my run.
I love it when my endorphins  kick in
Things I don't feel like doing after  my marathon: MOVING.
I stand by and listen to  your rants about your TV  shows, so don't make  faces when I mention  marathon and running.
You know you're a runner when...  The thermometer says 45 degrees  and you think SCORE! Optimal running weather!!!
Beer tent opens at 10:30 ?! That's not good enough.
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