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So… What’s a “Permission Slip”?

As bizarre as it may sound, I quite literally forgot about myself. Not in the sense of “letting myself go” (by the way, I really dislike that phrase). It was more that my life began to move at such a rapid pace that I lost all sense of how far and how fast I had travelled until one day, I completely ran out of gas.

If I am being honest, I have yet to fully refuel. I could attribute this to my limited personal time as a working mom, the restrictions placed on all of us in the height of a global pandemic or the fact that I get exhausted just thinking about braving the DC area traffic to do anything. While these things are all true, at the heart of it all, I haven’t quite figured out what refueling and prioritizing my own wellness looks like in my “new life” as a working mom. I feel the need to make that differentiation because once upon a time, this girl had the blueprint for balancing the corporate climb and a very healthy dose of play and vacay. My blueprint was masterfully drafted on premium paper (French Riviera me, please).

Burned out and desperate to feel more like myself again, I knew that I needed an answer to the question, “Why is there a gap between how I am living my life and how I would like to be living my life?” I made a promise to not only find the answer to this question but to be open to where this path of discovery might lead me.

My journey of discovery led me really far inward. I started to examine how I was spending my time. Who and what I was allowing into my physical and emotional space. How I had been so good at showing up for my girls and my loved ones, but not nearly as good at showing up for myself.

This journey took a hard right turn and led me straight to where we are meeting in this very moment… Mom’s Permission Slip.

This blog will be about my life as a working mom. The Tiny Clarkes will certainly make some cute cameos but I am really being intentional about making room for myself in this season of my journey. I will share everything from my life experiences and what the investment into motherhood has looked like for me, to life hacks and short cuts that DON’T fall short (if I do say so myself).

These “Permission Slips” may take the form of sharing things that I have learned or that have worked for me, welcoming you into my home to see design or organization projects that I have taken on or recommendations for books, products and some of my favorite things. It may be bringing you along for new hobbies I try or places I travel. At times they may just be questions that I pose to you in hopes that you will share your perspectives with myself and other mamas who are following along with us. I will be transparent about things that excite me, the things that challenge me and the everyday questions that my life as a working, mom presents.

Here, I hope to begin to build a community. A safe space for mom’s to be reassured that they are not alone in this. None of us, and I do mean none of us have all of the answers, but I do believe there is power in community.

I refer to these posts as Permission Slips because I have found that we mamas are pretty good at figuring out the what, how and which décor will add the perfect finish to all of the magic. We aren’t lacking in “know how” or execution. We are lacking in grace. We just aren’t kind enough to ourselves. I am freeing you from the guilt associated with self-care by assuring you that you DO have permission to do all of those fun, relaxing and refueling things.

Here, I will hold you accountable to making rich deposits into YOURSELF. In whatever way this blog may take shape, consider these “Permission Slips” as open letters, from my heart, addressed directly to the pieces of you that need to be reminded that YOU ARE A PRIORITY.