A Mother's Day Toast

On this pre-Mother’s Day post, I interrupt my regularly scheduled programming to salute and encourage all women who endlessly give, and yet struggle to ever treat themselves…Most of the time, I sit down and intentionally plan out my blogs. Every once in a while, however, a blog kinda pops out of me. This is the case today. I just walked into Panera to cash in on my free bagel. Compliments of the Panera card, I was eligible for a free bagel every day for a month! The infamous Dave Ramsey dining envelope was empty, so a few calories in the middle of the day without spending any money was my love language. So much for no carbs. No pennies won out.This frugal woman confirmed with the cashier that no purchase was necessary in order to claim my free bagel. (My kids would’ve died of embarrassment, if they’d been present.) Butter is free. Golden. As I gazed at my phone to catch up on social media while waiting, I was suddenly brought back to the present when the kind cashier waved a bagel in front of me and asked, "Is this too burnt for you?"What went through my mind was "Yes." What came out of my mouth was, "No, that's fine." This kind gentleman dressed in a sports coat who had observed this exchange looked at me and said, “Why wouldn't you have her toast another bagel for you?" At which point, I laughed and said, "I'm a mom. I'll take pretty much anything."[bctt tweet="Being a good steward and servant is an awesome thing, but..."]As I walked away, I couldn’t help but replay the scenario in my mind. 17 years into motherhood, some bad habits have developed. Most of the time, being a good steward and being a servant is an awesome thing, but somewhere along the way we mustn’t forget that it’s perfectly fine to ask for your bagel to be a little less crispy. Sometimes it’s okay to need some time for yourself. Sometimes you need to be the one to order the nicest entree.For some of you, you may have no idea what I'm talking about. For others, you know exactly the tension that exists. You don’t have to be a mom to have this struggle. It’s real. So, here's to valuing ourselves!As Mother’s Day approaches, the little people who love us, and their dads, will do their best to show us their love. It’s terrific to have a day when moms are celebrated, but maybe the bigger question is whether or not you know how to show yourself love. Some of us have no trouble whatsoever, but others of us find ourselves unwilling to allow ourselves to slow down, stop, or be pampered. We unnecessarily take on the role of the martyr, when a little self-care would actually make us much healthier and much sweeter to be around.So, this Mother’s Day, and all the days after, please know you’re worth a pristinely toasted bagel.