So, I wasn’t sure what to write about this week – oh, I have lots to share LOL, but the thing is I have to “feel” it. So, I didn’t post yesterday. I mean it is a blog y’all and I just can’t write on demand. So, I released to the universe and waited.
When I woke up this morning, I hopped on Facebook for a few and lo and behold, my friend Allison Johnson had posted about a glitter jar! Well, anything with the word “glitter” and y’all know I gotta know more! As I opened the post, I felt the all so familiar tingling that meant this was going to be good.
And, sure enough, the words jumped right off the page and hit a deep place within me. Here is the link to my inspiration. Now, y’all know that I just turned 50; and you might not know, but Eva is about to turn 15. Poor Mr. Tony and Sparkle Jones. They live with two, erratic, crazy hormone-fueled women. Now, at best, I am a handful. That’s right, I will admit it and I will own it. I am a handful. And, let me tell you, that sweet girl of mine – she can hold her own against her Mama. So, as you can imagine, our house can turn into a meltdown in a hot second.
So, as I read more about this glitter jar and the analogy to the teenage brain, I knew I had to run out and make a real “glitter jar” – one for me and one for Eva. I don’t know about y’all, but menopause brain is about as close to teenage brain as you can get.
I just finished reading “Untangled”, um for the 2nd time, and I have this little note lying on the counter to remind me of one of the learnings. Eva asked me about it the other day. “What is this?” Well, y’all, it is one of my biggest works in progress and of my biggest challenges. “JUST BE”
I have to insert a a little background here– I worked at Intel for 10 years. I had the most amazing career with fabulous people making a difference in the Phoenix community. But, if y’all know Intel just a little bit, you know that continuous improvement and problem solving are right up there with breathing. Put a challenge in front of me and before you can utter your next breath, I am deep diving into the options for fixing it. I am a fixer, people. However, I get a little confused when it comes to my personal life. Translation: I gotta quit trying to fix fifteen year old problems.
“JUST BE”….that is my reminder to myself to shut the hell up and JUST BE. Driving carpool with a load of girls – JUST BE and listen. Quit trying to make small talk. When Eva is upset and venting – JUST BE – don’t try to problem solve. When Eva is telling me about her day – JUST BE – don’t try to interject my opinions.
So, I am going to use this glitter jar to assist me in my journey; when I am in the car, I am going to imagine shaking the heck out of that thing and JUST BE as the glitter drops to the bottom. When we are at home and the temperature starts rising, I am going to physically shake that thing, remember what our brains are doing and JUST BE. When Eva is talking, rather than coming up with five different opinions, I am going to shake that thing, put my hand over my big mouth and JUST BE.
Thank you Allison for releasing that wisdom to the universe so that I could grab it and share.
When the going gets tough and the temperature rises, remember to shake the heck out of your glitter jar and JUST BE!
xo,
Hilary
PS – Here is how I made our Glitter Jars: I purchased glass containers with lids, glitter, and glitter glue from Dollar Tree as well as a small bottle of corn syrup from the grocery store. I filled the containers with 3/4 warm water, 1/4 corn syrup, a few good squeezes of glitter glue and a generous amount of glitter and voila! Now, I decided to add one drop of red food color to turn pink as the water looked a little cloudy. However, I can’t decide if I like better or not. It is all personal preference 🙂 I had the stickers and ribbon so just got out the glue gun and stuck on the ribbon 🙂