happy weekend

This post is brought to you by the power of positive thinking.

This week, we watched our nieces and nephews for a few days while their parents had some time off. It went surprisingly well and I didn't feel as overwhelmed as I have when we've done this in the past. I attribute this purely to the fact that every few minutes I repeated to myself that everything was ok. That it wasn't a big deal to all of a sudden have a baby and a 3 year old again. That it was ok that everyone was still awake in bed after 9pm. That it was fun, even! And it totally worked (for the most part).

Early this morning, in the pitch darkness, I went running alone. (Mike is still in marathon-recovery mode.) I don't usually go running alone, especially not in the dark, but it was what worked today. While I was running, I remembered that I could get stuck in the "this is hard, how much longer, why am I doing this" thought loop, or I could focus my thoughts and plan my day ahead. I could use that time to think about something I am worried about. Or something important. And then the miles wouldn't feel so long anymore.

All this to say that this week, I re-learned that I am the captain of my thoughts. I can choose to use them to feel better or to feel worse. I can dwell on the hard things, or focus on the good. It's up to me. And I realize that this isn't always easy, but the choice is certainly always mine.

In lighter news, Ann Taintor gets me (minus the alcohol-related jokes, obviously). Every year, I get her new wall calendar and I die. Mike never thinks they're very funny, but oh man, I love them. This month says, "If they can send a man to the moon, I'm certain they can send a smart mouth teenager." Ha!

Happy March and happy weekend!