Living My Best Life

Oprah always liked to talk about living your best life. She would bring on a collection of "experts" to tell us how to do it. And I soaked it up like a sponge. (I actually mourned her leaving.)And like all good Oprah-ites, I had a vision of what that Best Life would be. It involved living at a beach, with no debt and no clutter, and I'd have a successful acting and writing career. Sounds like a best life, doesn't it? I still like the sound of that life, don't get me wrong. It is a dream life.But, it is not my current life. My stay-at-home, living paycheck to paycheck life. My crazy, frazzled, often-cluttered life. And while I have always respected full-time moms, I have not respected myself as a full-time mom. It was the consolation prize -- basically, it was what I did while I waited for the real life to start, the "best" life.Well, as Cee Lo sings, "Forget that". Being a Mom matters. In general and specifically to my kids. And I am starting to respect that. I've always loved being my kids' mom but I haven't appreciated it.For now, this is my best life.I dragged myself through the routine of being a mom. Whether it was cooking or cleaning, I did it. But I did it with a begrudging resignation. I am going to try to do better. Or, if you will... I am going to do my "best".I am going to do my best to make a home. A home of which I am proud. To make food that I enjoy. And to realize that no matter how I got here, this is the life, not simply a weigh station along the path of my real life.I haven't given up on the dream life, I'm just going to live my best life everyday along the way.So, are you living your best life? What does it look like for you?