A few years ago I was listening to a podcast about decorating and making a warm and welcoming home. It was a conversation between 2 moms, and the interview began with a basic question. "So where do you start when you want to make a beautiful home?"
The interviewee responded with the most surprising yet profound answer. She said, "Well, for starters, mom needs to be pleasant." She elaborated about how mothers have so much influence over the atmosphere of the home, and that the most perfect pillows and paint colors are worthless if mom's mood takes everyone down.
Pleasant happens to be one of my second grader's vocabulary words this week, defined as friendly and likable.
Mom needs to be pleasant. I have been clinging to this mantra this week. I've had a little cold. My sleep hasn't been great. The baby is not the best napper. People keep eating! A child needs multicolored sharpies and a piece of plexiglass in less than 24 hours for a school project. A mouse chewed through a giant bag of oatmeal. I put marinara on my taco instead of salsa and didn't realize until after I ate it. It was weird.
I feel irritated and irritable!
But...do I actually want to take my whole family down with me? Definitely, no.
If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. Proverbs 14:1
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. Proverbs 29:11
The lady who worked at the front desk at my girls’ school was always so nice and I thanked her for always being pleasant. She told me that she learned a long time ago that tone of voice is very important when dealing with people. I try to keep that in mind when I am being grumpy.
ReplyDeleteAs the old saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
ReplyDeleteWas the interview/podcast with Rachel Jankovic and Rebekah Merkle? Re: emotions… some of the most angry, callous people never outwardly show emotion. It only comes out in calculated, calm, covert ways. I guess we see this in the Pharisees who were outwardly collected, but went after and hated Jesus (who outwardly seemed angry at times). Just an interesting angle I’m learning to see… “full vent” might not look like what we think.
ReplyDeletePleasant is a great way to be!
ReplyDelete