Hi. Can I be blunt? Ok, cool cause I’m gonna be.
2020 is… less than ideal.
That feels like a more appropriate way of saying sucks, yeah?
We’ll go with that. 2020 to date has been less than ideal.
Ugh that wasn’t blunt at all…
Let me try again.

It’s August and so far, the year 2020 is basically like being strapped down to a dentist’s chair getting 8 simultaneous root canals (before the numbing kicks in of course), wearing denim on denim that’s 3 sizes too small with your one-upper next door neighbor sitting next to you talking to you about his yard treatments the whole time and you can’t move.

OH. Ohhhh… and all your kids on the other side in unison saying “mom-mom-mom-mom-mom-mommy-mama-mama-mommy-mom” for no reason other than they’re bored and you’re within earshot. No telling when the last time they showered was… let alone ate.

No escape. There is no escape.

That’s what 2020 feels like.

I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of it. You’re all here. You’re all experiencing it too.
The emotional smorgasbord has been relentless.
Angry.
Scared.
Overwhelmed.
Nervous.
Anxious.
Sad.
Hopeful.
Angry again.
All-The-Things.
No seriously. ALL-THE-THINGS.

So here’s where I have landed. Someone once taught me to control the controllables. Makes sense, right?

So ask yourself, what can I control?
I can control my mindset.
My attitude.
My energy.
My disposition toward others.
My faith.
My joy.
My peace.

I can’t control the effects of Covid-19. I can’t control quarantines or the new regulations that this year has brought upon us. I can’t control murder hornets (wtf is a murder hornet anyway) or hurricanes or this ridiculous game of Jumanji that is 2020.

So here is what I encourage all of you to do today.
Take a step back.
Breathe it out.
Scream it out.
Cuss. Loudly.
Have a drink if you need to (or let’s be honest… have another drink)

Then…This one will be difficult… Let the anger go.
Stop referring to 2020 as the worst year of all time.

Laugh about the ridiculousness we are all experiencing together.
Enjoy the memes (because let’s face it, this year has been meme gold).
And find your peace… whatever that is.

Take notes from my 5 year old. Slap on a bow tie for a family dinner at home and smile from ear to ear because YOU CHOOSE TO. Be that happy.

That’s the thing guys.
THAT. IS. THE. THING.
You get to decide how YOU react.
You get to decide how YOU respond.
You get to decide how YOU portray yourself.

Be sad. Be angry. Be annoyed.
But at the end of the day, wear the bow tie and smile.
Because we’re all in this together.

Feel free to interchange the bow tie for a tiara if you so choose ;)

Love & Hugs, Nicki – Momming all the Boys