Small anchors

This #thankyouthursday, I am grateful for small anchors.

I’m at the any-day-now point in my first pregnancy, and though it will most likely be at least another week before our new roommate arrives, my partner and I are definitely getting ready now.

For me, “getting ready” includes a lot of contemplation about what it means to be a mother—both how this transition will shape my identity, and also affect my preexisting way of life, particularly my routines.

I do very well with structure and routine, and I’m aware that having a baby disrupts pretty much everything. I alternate between finding this truth to be frightening and exciting.*

*Which reminds me of a favorite quote, attributed to Fritz Perls: “Fear is excitement without the breath.”

So it can seem alarming, the idea that everything is about to change. (As though everything isn’t already changing all the time!)

And yet.

With this baby will come new forms of structure and routine, nor do I have to lose all of the old things.

Which is why, today, I am grateful for small anchors.

Hot water with lemon. Three pages of journaling. Fifteen minutes of meditation. Favorite snacks. Epsom salt baths. Phone calls with friends.

And, of course, #thankyouthursday notes to you.

These are some examples of small anchors that hold me true to myself, and I am grateful I can continue to count on them.

Of course, I’m allowing space for the frequency and forms to differ—from what I hear, caring for an infant doesn’t allow for a ton of down time, so, for example, long baths might happen less often; these messages might get shorter. Maybe I’ll even need to skip a week or two; we’ll see!

The important thing is that these anchors are here for me. I’ve spent years developing my priorities, and I’m grateful to have solid tools that can help me stay centered in the upcoming (delightful, welcome, wonderful) storm.

And as I continue to place anchors amid uncertainty, I encourage you to do the same: What small anchors are useful for you?

Love > fear,
Christina

p.s. Related: Have you cared for an infant before? I’m accepting advice on how to get the most possible sleep. Hit reply if you have tips to share!