The phrase "health in the navel and marrow in the bones" struck me as I remembered the few words from President Monson last October. I've read them over many times. I have a list of the things I felt he focused on in his short talk and it has sat at my desk for the last 5 months. But was puzzled me most was the story about the Word of Wisdom. It felt so random and out of place that it stuck with me ever since. My inspiration/epiphany or whatever you want to call it, was this:
I am on the right path and I am doing the right things ...but I am not going about them the right way.
I was trying to fit so much into my life that I didn't feel like I had time to sleep. Or feel accomplished. Or really enjoy my children. I would definitely say that the first two months of 2017 have felt eerily like my last winter in Utah in 2011. Back then I only had one kid, but also a full time job, and almost as soon as I came home Drew would need to leave for work... so unless little d was napping (which he was never great at doing), It felt like I was going full speed, 24/7, workworkworkworkwork.
Until I completely burnt myself out and had to admit to the administration I needed help. I thought about seeing a counselor or therapist, but within a week (of gracious, much needed "maternity leave" I never officially took after having little d) of realigning my priorities I knew what I needed to do and that was to quit my job. It was such a hard decision but I knew it was the right one.
6 years later, feeling much the same way (except with no outside the home job, "just" the 4 kids, haha!), I have changed a lot in the last two months. I am waking up before my kids. The last 8 weeks I have been going to the gym before they wake up, leaving me with the whole morning to spend time with my kids and get stuff done at home. The first invitation President Monson gave us 5 months ago was to "Do more than believe in Jesus and His mission. To work to learn of Him in the scriptures, come to know him through prayer and continually use his power to repent and improve." I was doing all of the things I thought I needed to do except asking for help and guidance from Him. I was doing what I thought needed to be done but that tiny little alignment shift, of counseling with my Savior, it really does make or break my days. He can do so much more with me than I can ever do for myself in any given day (and I am a pretty hard worker!).
Going back to the Word of Wisdom, I felt the same as the guy in the story, thinking to myself, hey, I have put in the time on this body! No, it is not perfect and probably full of too many chocolate chip cookies but I have been working out for years, eating and encouraging my family to eat more vegetables and protein and water (fruits and carbs they don't need convincing!), staying away from anything that would impair my judgement or cloud my senses... and yet I still struggle with my psoriasis!! I still have that blasted diastasis recti! What gives?!
Then it came to me... almost like a whisper to my mind: Haven't you survived almost two years with twins? Without a lot of sleep and yet without coffee? Haven't you felt amazing in the gym at 6am even though you only got 5-6 hours of sleep at night? Remember how you don't have to have a nap anymore to get through the rest of your day?
Talk about humbling. I was so busy looking at the aspects I was frustrated with that I failed to see all the blessings of health that have been richly pouring down on me. How much clearer my mind has been in the last couple of weeks since I started meal prepping. How much better behaved my kids are when they are filled with planned out, relatively healthy meals, and that they expect them. I kid you not, even the twins expect some sort of veggies and fruit at every meal (with the exception of breakfast, but that's because they usually end up eating that for a mid-morning snack!). I am really blessed. I am so happy that my eyes have truly been opened to seeing the "health in my naval and marrow in my bones" and I hope to continue onto that journey, which, although not perfect, is making me feel better than I have in a long time.
