A Space for Cereal

Yep, cereal. Seriously.

The other night, I opened my pantry and absolutely could not decide what to cook for dinner. Because of the economic turn in our own family, and as a way to save money in general, we have mostly stopped eating out.

We still have the occasional lunch out on the weekend. But for the most part, every single meal is now cooked at home. Every. Single. One.

Now, I am beyond grateful for the fact that my family can still afford food. I do not mean to degrade anyone who is struggling. I know so many of us are.

But in that moment, when I was trying to figure out what I should cook, I simply could not do it that night. I could not cook dinner. Waves of expectations had been pummeling me daily. Like waves in the ocean, they hit us, pull at us, and can ultimately drag us down.

You “should” be doing this or that. Or, more of that thing in order to be a good mother, father, employee…

So, in that moment, I just stopped. I stopped struggling and took a breath and took a moment of gratitude that I actually had food in the cupboard.

Out of the blue my kiddo said, “Mama, I want cereal for dinner.”

And you know what? That’s totally what we did.

We had cereal for dinner and loved every moment of it.

I didn’t feel guilty. And all those thoughts of, “wow, that’s not nutritious enough for him. You’re not being a good parent,” I just let those go.

All of them.

So many of us are being called upon to do things that we would normally not do. Teach. Counsel. Cook. Recover. Survive.

These are hard times. Really, really hard.

And we need to be kind to ourselves. Always.

We are doing the best that we can. And some days, that will mean cereal for dinner or sleeping in a bit, or even skipping a day of home schooling.

And that is totally and completely OK!

Be kind to yourself, remember that you too need love and nurturing.

Be kind to your neighbor. Who knows what they are going through?

I’m thinking of you all and sending love and light and prayers.

Hugs, Shelly