Pad Patter 12/21: Life Changing Moments

[mommy2boyz]

Have you had one of those "ah-ha" moments? The kind that rock your universe? One that has completely changed how you view the world, how you think, how you talk, how you act?

For me, it was the moment I looked into the face of my baby boys. Life as I knew it was over. It was like being re-born. Before I existed as a woman, now I exist as a mother. I see the world with new eyes. Things that I thought sounded fun are now too dangerous. Words that I spoke no longer exist in my vocabulary. I changed the way I eat because I want to be healthier and live longer. I became more worrisome, more aware, less laid-back...to the point that I have anxiety attacks. But, I love like I've never loved before. When I look into their faces I begin to realize the fullness of God's love for us. Unending, unchanging, unyielding.

For better or worse, what changed you?

 

[scrapsandsass]

Awww... that is so sweet. What a great story you shared.

I can understand what you mean about kids, but it really hit me with my grandbaby. Having my daughter when I was 18 definitely changed my life. It is interesting though because I think, since I was young when I had her, and there was so much to take care of all on my own, I didn't really freak out as much with the typical "mom worries." I just got through one day at a time. But now that she is 23 and has had Kennedy, I freak out all of the time about him. I am constantly worrying, and sometimes it is completely illogical. Maybe because the world is a different place now and we have so much more information on what to do or not do... but it is hard to love him so much and not worry myself sick. I am just totally in love with him.

A major life-changing moment for me was when I was in a job that was a real challenge mentally/emotionally. The owner of the company had some mental health issues, and she drove everyone else crazy around her. I was running the company for her and loved the challenges. I also think I really secretly loved the adrenalin rush of always having to work in crisis mode and never knowing what was going to happen next. I made pretty good money at the time, but it was starting to wreak havoc on my life. The owner had no understanding of boundaries and appropriateness. She had unrealistic expectations and was putting a ton of stress on me. I was working long hours, commuting long distances, and she would call me at home as well. It got to the point where I felt miserable most of the time, even though I loved the rush of the job itself. One morning, I was stuck in traffic and listening to the radio. I heard three songs almost right in a row that talked about living life or taking control of life, and I realized that I needed to get out of that job. I left shortly thereafter and decided to go back to school. There are times that I regret not having the big paycheck or the thrill of successfully handling crisis after crisis, but in the long run, I am much better off and so much happier.

 

[RebeccaH]

For me, by far my most life-changing experience (it drug out way more than a moment) to date has been our relocation from Michigan. Nothing went as we had hoped or planned. It completely drained us finanically, we lost more than money in it, and we are still trying to regain our footing in some respects.

But in all of the trouble and whirlwind and aftermath, I have learned, and am still daily learning, some amazing things about myself and about who God really is. My faith was totally shaken because I felt like "Why are You letting this happen? Why aren't You saving us from all of this?" So I started to question whether God is real. Went through some very dark moments and made some very difficult and personal assessments and choices. And have come out on the other end a very different, and very tried and tested person. And I feel like, although this has been the most difficult, and most drawn-out personal experience for me, I now KNOW things that I used to THINK I believed. Even though I never knew my faith was shallow and untested, I now know that my love and belief in God is so much stronger because I've walked through this.

Life changing for sure.

And besides my personal faith, it has changed my understanding of the world. It has stripped away some of my naivete and given me some much more grounded perspectives, thought processes, and expectations. It has also brought me to focus on what is really important and let the rest go. It has taught me to be SO much less controlling because I realize that control is quite the illusion and it's not worth the stress that it brings at all.

 

[renee82]

I'l have to think about this for a bit... There are so many things to consider....