I love reading, writing, quotes, all-things-wordy. And today I am sharing 5 quotes in particular that actually shifted my mindset, for the better.
“Soft things don’t break.”
There is power in knowing who you are and owning it. And friends, I am a big old softie! I’m sensitive. I cried shopping for baby clothes while pregnant. Multiple times. While being ‘soft’ can be associated with being ‘weak’, I thought this quote was a beautiful reframing.
There is a resilience in your softness. This quote came from Nadia Meli’s Life Letters, where she reflects on how a hard vase can break and shatter during a storm or when they fall to the ground. But soft things - like your favorite pillow or a cozy blanket - those things bend and stretch and expand. Isn’t that so pretty to think? This quote reminded me to sit in my softness, and embrace the power of it.
“Don’t forget to kiss in the chaos.”
Somebody shared a picture of this quote online with the caption: “This should be called parenthood.” YUUUP. The first days of parenthood are a blissed-out, sleep-deprived blur. I’ve seen the weeks following it lovingly referred to as “the roommate phase” on MomTok. This quote reminds me that while I’m a mom, I’m also half of a partnership. And that’s really fun and romantic if you remember to let it be! This quote lingers in the back of my mind in the small batches of moment we find together when we aren’t swept in a parenthood whirlwind of learning curves.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day - and neither is your home.”
I reference Kate a lot because her Substack is just so good and this was a little snippet from her Sunday Reset series that really called to my heart. When we first moved into our home, I found myself wanting to do everything, everywhere, all at once. It drove me nuts that rooms weren’t furnished (one room was literally a desk and a mattress on the ground for months…). I looked around and instantly had ideas for everywhere. A mirror here, new floors here, a rug here, curtain here. The problem was we couldn’t afford to just do it all right away.
I’m not a patient person. But I guess if there is anything that forces you to be…it’s parenthood and home-owning. So 2023 gave me a big old dose of patience! It took time, but I’ve finally learned to let myself exhale. This isn’t an apartment serving an in-between. We are going to be here for the foreseeable future. This is where we are starting our family. These are our walls to play with and paint on and put holes in. We can do whatever we want. Make it look however we want! That’s liberating. Yes, it may take time, but it also takes creativity and fun and expression. I repeat this little mantra when I find myself getting overwhelmed with my list of ideas and projects.
Our home is not perfect or complete. But it is ours - lived in and being built to our unique shape, each day.
If it is out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind, too.
If our family ever needed a quote to live by, this is it. I’m a worrier and overthinker. And then I married another worrier and overthinker. Needless to say, sometimes one person’s anxiety feeds the others.
I found this phrase on Pinterest one day, and let me tell you it has genuinely changed our lives (Dramatic, but true!). I repeat this to myself, and now to others, whenever that little anxious-overthinking-character on our shoulders appears.
If we can’t control it, we cannot obsess over it. You can only control how you react. Out of your hands? Then free it from your mind.
“I got comfortable in my own skin just as it started to sag.”
This is a powerful quote from Sari Bottom’s Substack Oldster.
I have spent over half my life wanting to change my body. And I know I am not alone in that feeling.
The funny thing is there have been several instances I look back at old pictures and think, “Wow, I wish I would have appreciated my body then.” But I remember being in those moments and just focusing on what I didn’t have instead of what I did. I don’t want to spend so many days not appreciating my body while it is healthy - able to move and play and laugh and dance.
As a mother, I’ve made a vow to never complain about my body in front of my child. I’m realizing that promise is important to make not only for my daughter, but for myself. I want to invest and appreciate my health today, instead of prioritizing short-term vanity.
And I’m not waiting until my skin starts to sag to do it!
I hope these quotes helped open up your mind the way they did mine. Words are so powerful. I’m thankful to have stumble upon these ones, and thankful that you’ve somehow stumbled upon mine if you are reading this. :)