After surviving April, I knew May would be just as chaotic. Turns out it was more chaotic than I could even imagine.

We had end of year school sports and activities wrapping up with regional and state track, soccer, musicals, GRADUATION!, and awards banquets. Throw in Mother’s Day weekend, end of the school year, and my family’s fundraiser…and we were left with our head’s spinning!

I knew I had to land a fish before May 26th this month. On May 27th we embarked on our annual fundraising bike ride. This year we headed to Utah to ride the Utah’s Mighty 5! My two daughters and my ex husband rode through Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef while his wife and I drove the support van. Hundreds of miles were logged to raise funding for scholarships for women veterans. However, we didn’t return until June, which meant the fish had to be caught prior to our trip.

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention…we moved. With spring storms hitting – my husband was called out of state to fix power lines in Colorado. That was the day before we were to move into our new home. The next several days were filled with kids, friends, and lots of boxes.

So, I breathed, I showed myself some grace, and I headed to the Ash Hole. I fished around a bit before I landed this beautiful rainbow.

I loved getting up there in the peace and quiet. I loved getting to see my parent’s new home that was just built. I loved the stillness and silence that I needed so very badly. It is like hitting the reset button.

I realized that these moments are necessary to live your best life. I needed to step away from it all. This month was a great example of being aware of what your needs are. Understanding your limits and saying, enough. This is enough, and I need a minute. And not feeling selfish for taking it. However much and whatever it is you need. Letting your kids see you take care of yourself is such a good thing – you are teaching them to take care of themselves too. We always push ourselves to our breaking points, and when you think about it, we are teaching our kids to behave the same way.

I want better for my kids and better for myself.

Practice naming your needs. Be aware of what you need emotionally, physically, mentally….tell yourself, your partner, your kids, your friends what you need. Find people that support you. We are out there! You just have to name it!