Be All In

I teach my kids a lot of life lessons, but an important one that has been showing up more lately is to Be All In. Rarely do we talk about it, we simply live it as a family culture. No wishy-washy, kinda sorta, indecisive, umm maybe stuff. Make choices, stand for something, be yourself, commit – Be All In.

This is how I’ve approached my three years of surgeries and recoveries, the most prominent example for my daughter of me being all in. She was just 2 years old when the whole process began so her most important memories of me include all of that. It has been important to me that she grow up knowing me as me, not as the unwanted identities that can come along with surgeries and recoveries. I’ve made a colossal point of being all in on showing her who and what I really am.

She has embraced this concept fully as her own, just as I had hoped. With unshakeable confidence, opinions, and a strong-willed voice to match, she is all in on being herself.

She spent this past week at art camp, culminating in a day of Jackson Pollock style painting. Parents were warned that it could be a messy day, please send your kids in clothes you don’t mind getting a little paint on.

OH, YEAAHHH! This made me so happy – I knew she would love this day! When I dropped her off, I let her know that it would be be really fun day and that if when I came to pick her up she wasn’t really darn messy, then she did it wrong. AKA – be fearless, don’t worry that I might be upset if you’re messy, go have fun, Be All In.

She got the message.

Her teacher thought I might be upset but NOT A CHANCE! Everything about seeing her proudly covered in paint, having her best day ever, made my face hurt from smiling.

She proudly wore her painted hair and self the rest of the day, finally allowing me to get it (mostly) out last night. Hair washing, tedious hair combing for the better part of an hour – totally worth it. She was ALL IN.

Her finished painting is the top image of this post, but truly, SHE is the art for me today. The true embodiment of Being All In.

Here’s some inspiration for you today. What can you face and make a decision on? What have you been sitting on? Make a choice today to Be All In.

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