Today a couple of things had me pausing to consider what it means to be a parent...a friend...a doula...

Being a successful parent ultimately means making yourself redundant, the same can be true for doula work...friends, who knows maybe they are different...

There is a saying 'give your child only two gifts.
Firm roots.
And strong wings.

Our instinct is to hold our children close, to protect them from all the evils of the world...

"I'm her Mama, this is what I do. We Mamas run through all the possible outcomes. We worry sometimes. And we do what we can to protect those tender hearts of theirs. But sometimes, we forget that the outcome isn't really what matters. Or at least, that it pales in comparison to what came before. And that those tender hearts are huge and strong too", by Soulemama.

...yet in our hearts we know that caged birds don't sing. That once we have given them those roots and wings we must set them free. Even when we know that those roots sometimes come away from the ground when the earth gets loose and the wind blows strong or that their wings will tire and they may come crashing down...

I have waxed lyrical before about my gratitude to my children for choosing me to be their mama...that feeling only grows stronger now that they are grown and making their own way in the world...

I do pause and ask myself what the future holds...ach! Such a pointless quest! Oh but what an adventure it is parenting, living, trying to figure what it's all about...

I'm trying something on for size....mindfulness....stilling my mind....I am yet a naïve beginner in this pursuit...and I suspect may remain at this level for some time to come...but it almost doesn't matter, you see...as it's the journey that matters not the destination....and what's the point of a journey if you don't take time to gaze out of the window and admire the view, or pause along the path to smell the flowers or paddle in the stream?  So I'm taking a little time each day to pause, I am shushing the monkey chatter when I can, noticing little things that I have missed when I have been rushing about...
I don't pretend that it's easy, it certainly doesn't come naturally. Being positive and still and appreciative these are not familiar....yet....

So now that my children are using their wings with their roots firmly grounded, I am remembering my own wings and stretching them a little, whilst resting in between to give them chance to grow strong again.

I fear I'm rambling now, the page is blurry from keeping my eyes open too long...I can't remember where I was going with this post...so I'll sign off and get some sleep...maybe tomorrow...oh wait it's past midnight...maybe when I wake I'll remember where this was heading...then again maybe I won't...