Kids don't owe you gratitude for doing your job as a parent. You signed up for this. You chose to have them. Taking care of them isn't some favor you're doing-it's what you're supposed to do. The parents who get this stop keeping score. They stop waiting for recognition.
Happy Birthday: Put your to-do list together, and pick up the pace. Eliminate what's not necessary. Get organized and ready to turn the page and move on to the next chapter in your life. Letting go is never easy, but it is necessary if you want to explore the possibilities. A lifestyle change will present a learning curve but also ignite your imagination. Embrace what excites you most. Your numbers are 6, 18, 22, 27, 33, 42, 48.
This experience taught me that letting go isn't about weakness, failure, or loss. It's about creating space-for ease, clarity, and the next chapter of our lives. In fact, it was my own transition to my next chapter that enabled me to finish the book. I learned to release outdated beliefs, soften my self-judgment, and eliminate roles that no longer fit.
Letting go. It's one of the hardest things human beings have to do in this life. And-oftentimes-we can't. After all, it's one of the reasons why we invented photography, the ability to capture single moments forever. There's an entire television show dedicated to hoarding. Then there's the oldest and most obvious form of not being able to let go: cemeteries. Our entire species, for thousands of years, has created burial places for our dead because the living can't-and don't want to-fully let go.
Nobody is perfect. It could have been unintentional, but you were the target of their low moment and got wronged in the process. You are feeling the range of lousy emotions: anger, sadness, shame, anxiety, embarrassment, regret, and might even start to slip into a depression. When someone suggests you forgive the instigator, you can't help but reply: "Why should I forgive him/her/them?" "He/She/They don't deserve my forgiveness" "I'll never be able to forgive him/her/them for that" "Why should he/she/they get away with that?"
