I have a problem with the tree in front of my house.
Every year, without fail, it refuses to drop its leaves until December. I don’t want to be raking in December. And if snow shows up, forget it.
That is exactly what happened this year. The leaves finally came down in early December. Then we got snow. Then we had sick kids. Then Christmas arrived. Raking never stood a chance.
Now here it is January, and those leaves stare at me every day as I walk down to get the mail or meet the bus. Raking when it is 20 or 30 degrees does not sound enjoyable, so I kept ignoring them and hoping they might blow into the neighbors yard 🙊
Last week we had one of those “warm” winter days. You know, sunny and in the 40s. I decided it was time.
I grabbed a rake, and of course the little people followed with their rakes and a dump truck. We had about 20 minutes before Pre K pickup, but we gave it our best effort. I managed to rake a neat rectangle and filled an entire bag of leaves.
Honestly, when I stepped back, it barely looked like I made a dent. As I drove to school slightly discouraged, my mind went back to something I had just shared with a group of women at an event I was speaking at the week before:
Sloppy action is better than perfect inaction. Progress matters more than perfection.
There was progress in the yard that day. The job was not finished, but it was started. We were outside together. The sun was shining. We moved our bodies, breathed fresh air, and did something instead of nothing.
Most of the time, starting is the hardest part. But I did start, and now I simply get to continue…one bag at a time. Little by little. It does not need to be perfect to be meaningful. This is what this season of life looks like right now for me with little people, and that is okay.
I want to encourage you today to celebrate progress over perfection.
Mama, maybe you only moved the laundry basket from the bedroom to the laundry room. Celebrate it.
Maybe you bought a card to mail to a friend and it is still sitting on the counter. You bought the card. Celebrate it.
Small steps count. Starting counts. Keep moving forward.
I would love to hear what you got started today, or this past week so that I can celebrate with you!