Carry on, Warrior

This week I spoke in my church.  The person who coordinates the meetings asked me to speak on a great talk by the Prophet of our church called "Finding Joy in the Journey." It's good.  In it he says, "If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will--to your surprise--miss them profoundly."

And then, per my record with trying to speak on what they ask me to speak on, I changed the topic entirely and instead of talking about finding joy in the journey I talked about this incredible article on parenting from the Huffington Post (which you should read).  It's an article written by a woman who is responding to all of the older women who come up to her when she is out and about with her 3 young children and tell her to carpe diem because this time goes so quickly and your children will be gone before you know it.

She says,

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I've heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers -- "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" -- those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

She has a great way of measuring success (which you should read--it's the end of the article and it will make you cry) but the thing I've been thinking about it just a little humorous line where she decides what she is going to say when she is an older woman talking to young mothers.  Instead of telling women to enjoy every minute of it, she is going to say, ""It's helluva hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime." And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out.""

And that, my friends, is what I want to say, whether it's parenting, a job, an athletic endeavor, a relationship, school or any other worth-while endeavor you are pursuing

It's helluva hard, isn't it? 

Carry On.

Warrior.