Hey there! I’m Mikala—a family doctor, wife, mother of 5, well-being advocate, and author of the books Ordinary on Purpose and Everything I Wish I Could Tell You About Midlife. Each month my writing reaches millions of women, but I am thrilled to be connecting with YOU. I’m truly grateful to have you here!

No More 'Shoulds'...Just BE

No More 'Shoulds'...Just BE

Anyone else have ‘The Shoulds?’

They’re everywhere, aren’t they?

And isn’t it easy to get lost in the noise???

Social media. TV. Parenting articles. YouTube. How-To books. Podcasts.

Lately all I hear clanging in my mind are SO MANY SHOULDS.

Like…

I should get up every morning so I can pray or read or meditate or do yoga or somehow get a jump on the day.

I should go back to work so I can contribute financially. I mean, I can do it ALL, right?!

I should get more exercise. Take up weight-lifting. Or pure barre. And also run more. Farther. Faster.

I should lose this weight. And eat more fruits and vegetables.

And I should definitely cut out sugar. And carbs. And red meat. And dairy. And soda. (And happiness, apparently).

I should cook at home every single night so we can sit down together as a family and do High/Low around the table.

Oh, and this one is the most important…

I should spend MORE TIME with the kids (never mind I’ve been with them 24 hours a day for, oh I don’t know, 40 million years of quarantine!!!).

I should give them more chores. And more independence. And more challenges. And more space. And more one-on-one time.

I should do whatever possible to ensure they are perfect prodigy children…in EVERYTHING!

But really, I should just let them be kids.

I should put my marriage first. Learn my partner’s love language. Have regular date nights.

And I should definitely have more sex!

I should Kon Mari our home. Find a system for all this laundry. Fix my bed every morning.

I should probably become a minimalist. But also volunteer, join a book club, drink more water, and get more sleep.

And I should really, really, really work on ‘self care.’

I guess I should get up earlier every morning so I have plenty of time to pray and read and do morning yoga and somehow be thinner, prettier, healthier and more self-confident while volunteering, working outside our perfectly organized home, and putting my marriage first all while spending more one-on-one time with each child as I foster their independence and let them all just be kids.

Oh, and I forgot to mention…

I SHOULD ENJOY EVERY MOMENT.

You guys!!!!!!

No. Just NOOOOOO.

‘The Shoulds’ will ruin our ALREADY LOVELY LIVES!!

So, today I’m moving forward with only this ONE should…

I should just BE.

Be present, be grateful, be content, be enough, be ordinary, be ME.

Want to join me???

Awesome!

Now go BE you.

Lessons From Virtual Learning

Lessons From Virtual Learning

God Knows My Heart

God Knows My Heart

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