We could do it all... but we don't have to

​Many of us tend to glamorize being able to “do it all”.
... Or- *thinking* we can do it all, anyway.
I know I certainly do.
Total transparency?
Stepping in to a ready-made family as a wife and mother all at once, I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself to do it all.
To make it all happen.
To create the best environment possible for our new family to thrive.
To set up all the sports and activities.
To make all the appointments.
To keep a healthy, welcoming home.
To be the best wife and mother I can be.
To make up for lost time.
To fill and live up to a role that had been left empty for so, so long.
I was jokingly warned that, as the woman of the house, I’d naturally take over all these tasks- because “that’s just what we do.”
And so I did.
But you know what?
That’s crap.
Not one person can do it all on their own.
Not one person can tell me they can do a gazillion things at one time and do them WELL.
Show me a woman who does it all and I’ll show you a woman who holds a world of weight on her shoulders.
Who’s too afraid to ask for help.
Who doesn’t quite know how to delegate.
Who bends over backwards to keep all the plates spinning.
Who’s probably in serious need of a bath and a glass of wine.
Who schedules the appointments for everyone else, but doesn’t have the time to make it to her own.
Who’s tiptoeing that line between “I’m fine, everything’s fine” and total burnout.
Who loves her family so, so much- the kind of love that takes prayer, selfLESSness, patience, grace and grit.
My lovely, seriously badass sister reminded me of this-
that we probably COULD do it all...
but we don’t HAVE to.
Can we normalize asking for help?
Can we normalize honey-do lists?
Can we normalize delegation of tasks and open communication with our families?
Can we normalize the balance between “I am woman, hear me ROAR” and “I am woman, imma catch me some Netflix & chill tonight.”
Because- listen, mama.
I KNOW you can do it all. I mean, obvi.
But you don’t have to.