Lesson of the Day

I know that having a baby will "change my life", and Preston's. It'll change our whole perspective on everything. It needs to.

I feel like we need to start practicing/changing right now.

For example, let's say I'm going to take out the trash. I HATE taking out trash. I'm totally OCD about trash. And we're making a LOT of trash right now, what with the renovations and donations and all. You know, boxes that had baby clothes, boxes that had flooring, closet doors, baseboards, carpet, regular kitchen trash, catboxes, etc. And it is in the morning before work, and I'm running late, and it is hot outside, and I need to make like 8 trips to get all the crap to the curb. There are 2 ways I could handle this: I could get all upset, huffy, pissy, and bang around bitching and moaning about taking out the trash, or I could just get it done, quietly, without pitching a hissy fit. Option #1 is still getting it done, don't get me wrong. But I'm not going to feel any better, I'm *probably* going to piss off the other person in the house, if there is one, and I'm still having to take the damn trash out. If I pick this option, what am I communicating to my kid? What kind of energy am I outputting into my home? Into my relationships? Into the world? What about if I pick option #2?

Actions speak louder than words, and the tone of our actions is just as important as the final product. Yes, the trash went out, but did I teach The Kid to move through her chores quietly, efficiently, and to not rail against the things that are just a part of life, or did I teach her just what an angsty teenage I-don't-wanna-clean-my-room fit should look like?

I have moved through my life not considering things like this. I'd pitch that fit about the trash because I wanted to and because I freaking hate taking out the trash. I never cared what anyone thought. I never *had* to. But my life isn't going to be my own any more. Our lives won't be our own. There will be little eyes watching everything we do. Little ears hearing everything we say. A little person modeling herself on us. That is a huge responsibility. Now is the time to examine how we act, how we are, how we think, and start thinking about whether or not we want our kid to emulate us. How can we shift the very fabric of our thoughts before this kid arrives, so that she comes into the most loving, constructive environment possible?

I'm just throwing this out there.