taming the chaos of grad week

June! What a month. We went from two years of pandemic-land nothing to happenings of every kind imaginable. It has been fantastically exhausting and I am SO grateful for the many opportunities to celebrate with the communities that have meant so much to me and my family.

Has your June been full of connection with others too?

All three of my kids graduated from their respective schools and are off to new things next year. My older boys graduated high school (!) and my youngest, grade 8. Graduation week for my high school grads was particularly chaotic with the grad formal, the grad ceremony and all the parties in between. It was a week of friendship, family and joy.

My heart was full.

I knew the week would be busy but it was more than I had bargained for. My babies were leaving the nest and I was feeling all the feels. Immense pride, happiness, relief, sadness, excitement, nervousness and disbelief at how fast time went. The teenagers were on cloud nine and I loved being surrounded by their energy.

In the midst of all the grad week celebrations, I still had shizz that needed to happen. In the past, I would have busted my butt to do it all. I would have been stressed and grumpy and resentful that I wasn't getting stuff done. I would have been mad and yelled.

This time was different. This time I knew that even in the middle of a chaotic week I could choose. I could choose to be fully present on what was a huge milestone for my kids. I could choose to let go of some things, simplify others and reprioritize what was on my plate.

I always have the power to choose.

Instead of bending myself into knots to try to do it all I made some changes:

Let It Go

I let go of the idea that I was going to get everything done. I didn't get annoyed when I was interrupted. I listened. I laughed. I helped. Letting go enabled me to be fully present and share as much of the week with my grads as I could.

Reprioritize

This meant shifting some deliverables around and cancelling a night out with girlfriends. By doing this, I created space to be present and give myself some breathing room.

Simplify

I had envisioned an elaborate celebration dinner for the graduates. Then realized that having our whole family together was what was important and kept the meal simple. I was able to enjoy being with my family instead of racing around prepping food.

Stay Consistent

I continued to move daily. I fired up the bike and sweat out the emotion of the week. Daily movement is what keeps me on an even keel.

As I look forward to July I am grateful for all the joy of June. Having the clarity to know when to let go, reprioritize, simplify and stay consistent enabled me to enjoy the celebrations and send my grads off with love.

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