The first time I read Oprah’s magazine, I remember being completely enthralled with the last page – her “What I Know For Sure” article. It was genius, I thought! Of course, I dutifully tore it out (as well as more of them from subsequent issues) to add to my book of magazine clippings because I didn’t want to miss one thing I needed to know for sure.
Because, you know, I needed someone to tell me what I knew for sure.
I don’t know if Oprah’s magazine still contains that series, but I do know that I don’t care one bit what Oprah knows for sure. In case you’re wondering, my life is nothing like Oprah’s. Shocking, I know.
PS – don’t get me wrong. I do love me some Oprah. I even got to attend several tapings of her show and screamed along with the rest of the audience. And Oprah and I are birthday buddies, so there’s that.
I do have a few things I know for sure, though, and they’re important to me because they’re the fuel that gets me through my tough days, of which today was one for no particular reason other than it was just hard. Sometimes hard days make way for personal growth that leads to greater fulfillment and happiness. Other times, hard days just stink, and on those days, my reset button consists of knowing what I know, of reconnecting with the things that give me purpose, that connect me to the big picture, that allow me to wipe the slate clean and start fresh tomorrow.
Here are the few things I know that I know that I know…
1. I’m going to screw this up. Believing this isn’t discouraging to me. In fact, it’s encouraging. As in I’m going to mess up, so I might as well stop panicking over doing everything perfectly. Also, I’m in good company. Even the most reasoned, most skilled, most connected parents mess up. My own parents are fantastic parents, and they admit that they screwed up. I’ve even discussed my childhood with counselors. And I still love my parents! 
Messing up doesn’t make things hopeless.
2. Time flies, and I will even miss the challenges. I have a unique perspective on this because of how old Gabe was before we had Isla. I know I will miss changing diapers and middle-of-the-night wakings because I’ve already missed them once. Fighting for naps, protracted bedtime routines, and crazy loud chaos? I’ll miss that, too. It’ll be gone before I know it. I can only imagine how much I’ll miss the things that take place as they get older.
3. When I’m at the end of my rope or don’t know what else to do, reading a book together changes things. Going outside does, too, but I’m more of an indoor-snuggling-on-the-couch person than I am an outdoor person, so I don’t do that as much.
4. I’m stronger than I realize. I might feel like I’m going to lose it sometimes, but I’ve always survived every day, even a few very awful days, and I can survive the current one, too, even if we’re in the middle of a tiresome or frustrating phase.
What things do you know for sure?
This post is part of a 31-day series called 31 Days to Loving Motherhood More. You can read the other posts in the series by clicking here.
