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!
All tagged #ordinaryisextraordinary
If you are the mother of a teenage boy, you need to hear this one.
She carries her children’s joy and sorrow. She carries their goodness and pain. And every night she casts ALL the things she’s carrying off to Jesus as she prays over her children’s souls.
It turns out, no one’s talking about the hardest stuff. The REAL stuff.
As I’ve grown older and my deepest relationships remain, I realize what the girl next door brings to a friendship, especially during these transitional years of midlife.
These days, hugs are few and far between. Usually given with a limp arm. Or the ‘lean in’ with no arms at all. It’s lonely, sometimes. But we have to remember…we’re not alone.
It’s easy to overstuff—our dryers and our lives. And that’s what causes burnout!
I can’t believe this is my life. It’s messy and hard and ordinary and mostly unplanned. And so ridiculously beautiful.
No one told me just how amazing it is to watch this little person you met at his very first breath GROW UP—even way up over your own head—and I want you to know. Raising teens is hard, but it is so good, too! I promise.
Me. Family. Good friends. Connection. Real food. Nature. Pets. Comfortable footwear. Fresh baked bread. My tattered bible while soaking in a warm tub before bed.
“Please, God. Please. Can You please make it abundantly clear You are here?” And maybe it sounds crazy…but He did.
This is how I want to live the rest of my days—listening to my body. Moving her and feeding her and caring for her. Stopping whenever I need a rest. Noticing other people and flowers and blue skies and sunshine and dogs. Simply marveling at the world.
THIS it seems, is life. And ever-so-slowly I am beginning to understand that contentment is simply our best attempt at the beautiful ordinary living of it.
And showing up to this mess and noise through exhaustion (and sometimes tears) is part of raising a beautiful family!!
To me, that’s where we really LIVE this lovely little thing called life.
It’s the first time in my life I’ve done something just for me. Just...because. It’s the first time in my life I’ve done something not because I should do it, but because I want to.
Today I feel sad. Maybe it’s because I took my youngest to kindergarten round-up and there are only a few more months until ALL my kids will be in school.
Maybe He always meant for me to do motherhood as an imperfect human attempting to raise other imperfect little humans in a world full of trials and tragedies.
There is so much to do, yes. I know so often I’m moving too fast. But I don’t ever want to be too busy or stressed or distracted or overwhelmed that I forget to notice it all as it passes.
