Pretty Pleaser

I am a mother.  I am the oldest of 3 kids.  I am Type-A.  I have a *slight* (read: not so slight) form of OCD. 

This is the perfect storm for being a neurotic, cautious, worrier... a people pleaser.  These are things that I just can't help.  I have accepted this about myself.

However, as I mentioned previously, I've gotten to a space in my life where I have SO much to worry about...I just don't have the time or energy to fret about the small stuff.  Like if my hair is done.  If I worked out that day.  If the laundry is folded.  If so-and-so is mad at me.  If I'll ever get a pedicure ever again (which seems less and less likely each day that passes).  I don't have room in my life for the drama, the unimportant, the superficial.  

But being the oldest, Type-A, OCD freak does make me worry about these things.  Part of me can't help but worry that my hair looks like hooey.  That I skipped a workout.  That the laundry is still in the dryer.  That so-and-so is mad at me.  That my toenails haven't been painted since the summer.

I'm caught in this weird middle space of living with caution and throwing it to the wind.  I want to throw it.  I'm just nervous it's not a good idea.

To make matters worse I'm 33 (and then some). I'm at that age where I'm starting to not care...but I'm not fully at that age (let's say 40) when apparently you really could give a hoot less about anything.  I do give a hoot...just not too many of them.  And as the years pass, my hoots get less and less.

This hit me hard this week when it just seemed as though nothing was going my way.  My hair wasn't working.  I slept through my workout.  Someone is mad at me.  You get the gist.

On top of these tiny things I have my daily mommy worries AND daily work worries.  How am I supposed to be successful at each and put the right amount of care into all of these areas!?!

Well I didn't have the answer.  

Until I looked at this:
 

And everything all of a sudden just made sense. Nothing else really, really matters except these two beauties...my family!  As long as I am doing okay in my family's eyes...I'm doing okay.  The only people I need to please are MY people.  The rest of it can just wait.

And blaring Taylor Swift's Shake it Off in my car sure helps, too.

I'm just going to shake, shake, shake, shake, shake...shake it off, shake it off!