“Truth or Dare?”
Do kids these days even play that game anymore or know what it is? Long before internet, tablets, phones or apps that was a game we constantly played as kids; so I have many childhood memories of what we did to pass the time while roaming the neighborhood with friends. I can tell you one thing that I remember the most; I never chose “Dare.” I was scared of doing the unknown and was a “chicken” when it came to doing anything outrageous or scary. I also chose “Truth” because it seemed like the safer bet. Words were less scary to me and people would eventually forget what I told them, right? Do people remember what people say or what they do more? I always chose the safe bet with everything in life because it was just me, myself and I. I have control and I wasn’t going to do anything that I was too scared to do.
Fast forward to now…
Motherhood has changed my whole life in that sense. Losing control and being ok with it has opened the door to so many things that weren’t in my vision before. When the safe bet gets thrown out the window you learn to just go with things and you come out better on the other side. My fears are on mute. My motto lately has been “Why not.” I have been presented with many opportunities to step outside my comfort zone and you know what, you take a breath and just live even when the outcomes are unknown.
You will experience varying life experience as a mom. The good times, the bad times, the hard times, the exciting times; when times are unexpected and in the helplessness that you feel when you can’t fix this, you with tears in your eyes; let go and power through with the support that surrounds you. I am not that scared little girl anymore. I have bloomed. Motherhood has given me the strength to prepare and be ready for anything. Ok, I am really ready to “play” now.
The childhood game of “Truth or Dare” is no longer played in adulthood so there’s no one to play with anymore right? Actually, I have found that there is one person left to play this game with and that is yourself. There is so much I want to do. I have lost a lot of time picking only “truth.” I don’t need to wait for things to just happen. I can just dare myself to do them. I feel like I can do anything because of what I’ve been through as a mom. There really isn’t a harder job out there. Motherhood not only tests your limits but puts you in tough situations and has your heart showcased for all to see.
So when something seems to tough to do or when I find out I’ve waited years to do things with my life. I just say to myself ” I dare you, Erin.”
“I dare you to stop yelling at your kids”
“I dare you to get on stage and sing karaoke in a room full of strangers”
“I dare you to get off social media more often and spend time with your family”
“I dare you to drive into the cities more and not be afraid of traffic”
“I dare you to stay in more and get those DIY house projects done that you started but haven’t finished”
“I dare you to bring the kids to church”
“I dare you to think of yourself and take care of yourself just a little bit more.”
“I dare you to find a job that you love”
These are my dares to myself. I feel like daring myself holds me more accountable. Even just writing it down and seeing the words, ” I dare you” makes me just want to do them even more. I lately have realized that I have so many goals, dreams, and aspirations that I want to accomplish in my life. With the beautiful chaos and busyness of motherhood, I just don’t think I have time to get these goals started. But those three little words always give me the push to start living my life the way I envision it to be. So… I dare you to dare yourself to do what you’ve always wanted to do and be who you’ve always been or wanted to be.
