Adulting

Inhale. Exhale. Bring your mind here. Now. Feel yourself ground. Settle. Welcome to a Hit of Hope.
Are you tired of adulting? Are you sick of doing the right thing? Do you want to kick virtue and vigilance to the curb? Do you want to shout to any and all who will listen that life’s not fair?

Transcript

Inhale.

Exhale.

Bring your mind here.

Now.

Feel yourself ground.

Settle.

Welcome to a hit of hope.

Are you tired of adulting?

Are you sick of doing the right thing?

Do you want to kick virtue and vigilance to the curb?

Do you want to shout to any and all who will listen that life's not fair?

Inhale.

Exhale.

It's not fair.

Nor is it easy.

And that means you might mess up.

You might say the wrong thing.

You might forget the important thing.

Inhale.

Exhale.

You might give your love to someone who is all too human.

To someone who hurts you.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Your best and wisest self might not have been the self who stepped forward.

That's why those things came flying out of your mouth.

Inhale.

Exhale.

You might have had the best intentions in the world.

And yet everything still seemed to go to hell in the wheelbarrow that sits inside the pig barn.

This is one moment.

Let me say that again.

This is one moment.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Settle.

And remember to be kind to yourself.

Doing is hard.

And you are strong.

You are beautiful.

You are doing the best you can.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Namaste.

Reviews

This meditation means SO much to me. My story about adulting comes full circle. I had a little girl in 2nd and 3rd grade who always spent her recesses sitting on my lap and crying. Her mom was either in jail, an inpatient behavioral health center, or just passed out at home when Morgan got home. Most of the time she would go home to an empty home. Her dad worked 1 1/2 hours from home. I asked if I could take her home until he got home. He hugged me so tight I thought he’d break my ribs! We would have a snack, work on homework and usually watched a movie. Some evenings he would call and ask if I could feed her dinner because he was going to be late. I even stood in place of her mom when she received her 1st Communion. Eventually, dad asked if she could shower and get in her pjs so he had that time to spend with her. He trusted me and I promised him that she would have the bathroom all to herself and I would never open the door. This whole routine went through until she started 6th grade. It made me feel wanted, trusted, and sort have been the child I could never have. She graduated from college 4 years ago and we stay in touch often.💕 It’s funny now because she tells me that she hates adulting! In my case I loved having the feeling that I kind of had my own child. Life is so precious and I loved every minute I spent help “raising” her. So often you stir up many happy times from my past. THANK YOU 🌸🦋🌺

Amazing. Just what I needed. Thank you. Namaste🙏🏾

Be kind to yourself. I really need to remember this every day, every moment, every breath.
Namaste 🙏

One of the best teachers on this app!
Awesome in the extreme!

Just what I needed today! Thank you for your reliable wisdom and insight.

Morning, Betsy.

I often feel forced into an adulting role by the nature of my work. Can't say I'm all that fond of that particular aspect of it. I have a lot of decor with pithy sayings and phrases, as much for myself as for my clients. "It is what it is...but it will become what you make it." "You never know how far you can fly until you spread your wings." "Stars shine brightest in darkness." "Big things come from small ones" (with a photo of hands holding a sprouted sapling in a clump of dirt, forest in the background). A number of favorite lines from tv shows and movies, on magnets and small posters or decorative tiles.

As I sit up in bed each morning, I see - directly in front of me - a smallish wooden plaque hanging on my wall. "Life is like a camera," it proclaims. "Focus on what's important. Capture the good times. Develop from the negatives. And if things don't work out, take another shot."

You said, "This is one moment." Reminiscent of the old saying - yet still so very true - that "this, too, shall pass."

In keeping with the photographic theme (I went to photography school and was a pro photographer for a time), I think of your statement, "this is one moment" in the context of my contemplative photography practice and regular photography as well. There are moments, fleeting moments, which come and go sometimes without notice. Things like the golden hour are predictable; only the weather conditions call an early morning shoot into question. Other times, it's as simple as turning around to see an amazing, perhaps once in a lifetime sight. You have a split second to decide if you want to try to capture that moment in a photograph, or simply enjoy the gift of the moment with your senses, committing the scene to memory instead of film/digital image.

"This is one moment." Every moment brings this same choice. Choose to be an outsider, recording but not participating, or be a fully integrated part of the scene playing out. I think it both healthy and wise to find your own personal balance of these options. Step in, or step back. Adult, or engage in conscious non-adulting.

Another saying mentions that you must have darkness to recognize and appreciate the light. So it is with adulting. Too much adulting is detrimental to one's general happiness, I feel. Far better to select your adulting "shots" and step into them with purpose, where you can best put your skills and self to use for the betterment of all involved.

That's not to say that NOT adulting is the same thing as throwing a temper tantrum or acting like a spoiled brat. No, I think of adulting as more of a leadership-oriented descriptor, combined with clear thinking and rational analysis and decent decision-making skills. Or at least, that's a large chunk of my ideal description. (I've had so many clients defying this ideal over the years that at times I wonder if I my expectations in this regard are far too high.)

So yes, this is one moment. One moment, just like all other moments, when we make the conscious decision to "adult" and step into the frame, or allow someone else to assume that role, while we stand behind the lens, ready to step in and adult, or preferring instead NOT to adult and simply capture the scene from behind the camera.

And if the situation is a bit confusing, zoom in on the most important part to exclude the other "noise." Refocus. Then make your decision - shoot or don't shoot. Adult or choose not to adult. This is, after all, just one moment. There will be many, many more moments, but none as specifically unique as THIS one, right now. Will you be a part of it, and if so, in what capacity?

This is one moment. You decide.

(And I just decided that yes, I do need to adult and get ready for work so I can keep my nice electricity, water, etc on, have food to eat, and so on. So I'm going to adult for this moment. We'll see what the next moment brings. 🤔😊)

Thanks for sharing this HoH, Betsy. Thought-provoking as usual. Much appreciated! Have a beautiful day. I see the light within you. 🤲🏻❤️🤲🏻

Honestly, I'm tired of SO much, but adulting seems the one thing I've aggressively avoided of late.
We had a dream, my Jacquelynn and I, discussed and planned and wished for and delayed while we waited until "the right time came along".
Now she's gone. We could have spent the last decade making our dream a reality, but we waited. And now she's dead.
And now I will wait no longer. I will now make our dream a solid reality. I, WE will build our 'ranch and provide loving, forever homes to those dogs no one else wants; the aged, the infirm, the crippled and the ill. I may not know precisely where the resources will come from, and I will doubtless need much help along the way, but it WILL happen, and it begins now. I will name it for her, and Jacquelynn's Rescue Ranch will make a difference in this world which so desperately needs just that.
Yes, adulting is hard. But it is SO going to be worth it.

Thank you for this! The ending was exactly what I needed to hear 💖

Just what I needed today. Thank you

When I first saw the title, my immediate thought was "Ugh, I hate adulting!" (Seriously, about the only good thing is that you can eat [oops, 31st was autocorrect being a little too eager, haha!] as much junk food as you want, when you want, and when the Diet Police show up, you can just give them the finger.) It helps a lot to know that I'm not the most horrid person in the world when I say harsh -- or sometimes outright mean -- to someone I love. It's helpful to remember, too, that people, even those who love me, might sometimes say things that hurt me. It's a relief, really, to know I don't have to chase perfection.

I really needed this meditation today...Namaste🙏🏽

I just want my mummy back. I've screamed for her on many occasions, begged her to please come back. To hold me and stroke my hair and tell me I'm her best girl and make it all better like she always did when I was wee. But she's never coming back. So I try my best to be the best person I can be, until I'm with her again. Namaste Betsy 🙏💫❤️

As children we can not wait to become grownups...once we become grownups we dream of our childhood! Hmmm...I’ve been blessed with comfort, love, family and friends...no need for perfection just enjoy the ride! Remembering to be grateful for every moment in time, thank you!
Namaste 🙏🌅

Fantastic, reminded me of Jocko Willink. Very motivating!

Thank you. Short and useable anytime during my day.🙏

Highly relatable,❤️

You are enough. Thank you Betsy

Amazingly spot on! Namaste my friend and thank you. 🙏

Thank you very much. Loved this and will pass on to my daughters.