When Every Day Is Picture Day

Today was picture day at my girls’ school. The hovering cloud of tension was visible from the moment I pulled into the school parking lot. Moms frantically brushed hair with their child hanging halfway out the car door. Parents raced to the office to pick-up the forgotten photo form, then ran back to the car to get the money, and back to the office once more, whining toddler in tow. As I walked through the hallway, I overheard the last minute instructions to “smile big,” and “tuck your hair behind your ear!”

Oh, and let’s not forget the drama of getting out of the house in the first place.  Our students wear school uniforms, so the weight of choosing a picture day outfit can put the most even-keel child or parent over the edge. And hair styles, OMG the hair styles. Why does picture day now involve youtube videos and styles never before attempted. Pressure, you guys! Pressure! My daughter literally told me to leave the bathroom this morning, my hovering presence making things worse. Believe me, I was happy to do so!

And all this for an overpriced photo that disappears into an abyss, forever sandwiched between rectangle faces in a school year book.

I’m convinced that the root of picture day pressure is the disappearance of any margin we might be lucky to have in the start of our days. Routines are demolished. Additional decisions are placed upon us. And the threat of a bad photo weighs heavy upon our souls. There is no extra time for anything to go wrong. And something ALWAYS goes wrong. Emotions are heightened and bodies are coursing with adreneline. Nerves are frayed, and we feel like we’re going to snap.

If we’re not careful, every day can turn into picture day.

It happened to me. Slowly, over time, the expectations I had for myself and others rose. I tried to pack too much into my schedule, leaving no room for margin or rest. After a few months, I was completely operating in overdrive mode. Every moment of every day. The violin string of my life tightened until it eventually snapped.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Life is not an emergency. It is meant to be savored and enjoyed. That’s why Seeking The Still has become my passion. I don’t want you to have to experience burnout and breakdown to learn that there is a better way to live. The chaos of picture day DOES NOT belong in every day life. Are you ready to learn through my experience, so you can experience the Divine amidst the chaos of life? If so, follow this 31 day series, smile, and say, “Please!”

There is a story burning in my soul.
A story about nightmares coming true.
A story about a carefully crafted life that crumbled.
A story about thick masks that ripped away.
A story about a mind, body & spirit suffering darkest fear & pain.
A story about a family asking why…

I know the story well, because it’s my story. And it’s time to send it out into the world to you.

Burnout and breakdown no longer define me. The twisted weeds that strangled me are thinned. The light is shining and joy is spilling over in a way I never knew and never thought was possible.

The journey was messy and scary.  It was also very good.  I was stripped down, yet I was reborn. I learned so many life changing truths. And I want you to know them, too. I want you to see yourself in the warning signs, in the pit of despair, and in the healing.

Join me on this page in October as I share daily doses of a story that I hope will change your life as it has changed mine.

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