Keep Your Blinders On

When I was growing up, my dad used to say: "Keep your blinders on." When he said this, I always knew what he meant. He was referring to racehorses and how before a race, small plastic or leather cups are placed to the sides of the horses eyes to keep it focused on what is in front of him, encouraging him to pay attention to the race rather than other distractions, such as the crowds or other horses.(Thank you Wikipedia) These blinders would force the horse to only stare down his own path. My father used this analogy when talking about our own lives; to not become distracted with what other people are doing, but to remember our own path and to stay focused and steady on our own course. It's easy to become distracted when looking at what others have, what they are doing, etc.. and before long you have lost sight of your own path and more importantly, your own life.

I have a few things in my life that have caused me to take my blinders off.....so to speak, and I feel like the focus on my own path has become lost-a little. If there is one thing I have always been good(no, great) at-it's being completely happy and content with my own station in life. My mom can attest to this. I have always been excited about where I "am" but lately I have lost some of that. I get off Pinterest and feel like in order to be happy I need a new house,new wardrobe,better hair, and home-made play dough(ha!).

Last week after parent teacher conferences I came home and checked my face book and read things like, "My child is the smartest kid in the school!" "The teacher can't believe that she is reading quantum Physics analysis in Kindergarten!" "My child is a FREAKING genius!" "They are moving my first grader to eighth grade....she needs the challenge!"

Okay, okay....I am exaggerating-a little, but that is how it sounded to me. It made me feel bad about my own parent/teacher conferences where I was told for both of my children, "They are doing just fine. Right where we want them to be." Not below-not above. Just right where they want them to be and guess what?.... I was good with that!(actually elated-because they said they are nice kids too-and nice matters) until I got home and read that my FB peers are actually the parents of literal Einsteins. Pin a rose, people....Pin. a. rose. (See? It brings out the ugly in me.)

Don't even get me started on how a charter school is coming to our area and that it is ALL the mom's around me are talking about. There is this air of, "What WE are doing is better than what YOU are doing." It's exhausting...really, just exhausting.

Then there are the few(because some I really enjoy) mommy blogs that every time I read their latest post I swear(no, really...swearing is involved)that I will never go back and yet.......time after time I get pulled in like a rat to the pied piper. I leave those blogs feeling like a crappy mom. They paint this picture that motherhood is non-stop prancing through rainbows and Lilly covered fields and yes, at times that is what it feels like, but there are times that it's......boring, to be honest. (GASP! Did she just say??.....Oh no she didn't! Oh...yes,yes, I did.)

Let's get real, shall we?Sometimes my husband annoys me, my kids smell like outside,a load of laundry has sat held hostage in the dryer for three days, and I have $35 in my checking account to last two more days. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, little Miss June Cleaver! (Small Tangent....)

Anyway, the point of all of this is, I have to put my blinders back on. I have to re-focus on my own path and put all of my energy and attention towards it. Thank you for the advice, Dad-I'll take it. After all......what is down my own lane is pretty dang awesome and they will reap the benefits from my undivided attention and happiness. Even if they do smell like "outside" from time to time. ;)

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