70/365 Lenten Obligations

I gave up yelling at my kids for Lent. I broke it once thus far, in a major way, I remember, but I don't even recall what it was about.

But it's been good. I am remembering that Maeve is not a short 8 year old and the rules are different. Sophia and I have space in our relationship to build up new things. Maeve doesn't walk around like she's being punished for existing.

The difference is so shockingly palpable.

Habits are hard to break, and this was something that grew out of complete lack of resources--last summer I could barely get out of bed due to my thyroid condition. Everything crumbled around me and my kids caught the rough side of that. This fall, things were better, and as winter approached, even more so, but I was in this habit of handling things in a shrill yell up the stairs, in a shoving kids out the door at the last moment to get to school.

And in order to change that, I had to wake up a half hour earlier each day so things could be done in time to leave. I had to climb stairs, which was hard to do without holding onto the wall 9 months ago, but now is no big thing. I had to keep up my end of many bargains and stop setting up my children for abject failure.

It's been 3 weeks of it working. And actually, it wasn't hard.

How many other things, how many other habits, are here that just need a nudge to overthrow them? Imagine how much better life would be if.