Mud dives, parenting and the unknown.

Journaling prompts on getting back up, caregiving and exploring your pace in life.

Dear Friends,

Thanks for reading Journal Your Path! I’m SO glad you’re here.

I’ve missed you, our community and sharing journaling prompts with you.

Our 2-year-old had high fevers for nearly a week following an ear infection in both ears the prior week AFTER just getting over an ear infection less than a month ago. He developed an unknown virus on top of the ear infection. Oy!

I know this is par for the course with toddlers. Since it was his first time with 104/105 fevers, it was also scary.

He was well enough to go to the park Friday. We stayed away from other children, visiting a favorite spot surrounded by trees in Central Park. He happily walked on a circular path till he saw a cluster of pigeons enjoying the mild temps on a nearby patch of grass. He moved closer to them, saw a huge puddle and contemplated jumping inside, his mouth widening revealing aa smile and dimples.

“Let’s not jump in that puddle today,” I said.

It was deep and who knows what lived in that water! I felt the tug between encouraging his sense of play and adventure AND deciding when to set a boundary, especially since he’d been so sick.

Before we could move away from the large puddle, he slipped and fell, splattering his shirt, the knees of his jeans and covering half his right cheek while matting his hair in oozing mud.

Tears fell as my son started to cry.

“Oh no! Uh oh!” he said in his high-pitched toddler voice.

“It’s okay, little fella. Come on up,” I said.

Helping him stand, his crying stopped as quickly as it had begun.

“Let’s go to the stroller and get you cleaned up.”

We walked the short distance to his stroller at his slower, non-rushed pace. I could tell he was still startled from the fall but seemed curious about it too.

There’s nothing like walking at a slower pace with a small human to ground one in the here and now.

My son’s clothes were matted in mud. I cleaned his face and hands, rolled up his sleeves and sent him on his way to explore, allowing the back-and-forth dance of toddlerhood and parenting, staying near while letting him have some independence too.

I sensed the rite of passage of the moment, his first mud dive!

It was so easy for my young son to “dust himself off,” with a little help, and get back to enjoying the park. A dog ran our way chasing after its ball. My son ran after the dog, smiling and giggling in delight.

It made me think of our own tumbles in life and how we respond.

How do we “get back up?”

It also made me think of the pacing we claim in life.

It can be easy to get sucked into the “Go, Go, Go(!)” mentality of New York City life, even with a mindfulness and journaling habit. My son’s sickness forced us all to slow down, be fully present and sit with the unknown.

Much of what normally gets done on a weekly basis fell by the wayside. It was challenging at times.

I wanted to write.

This was and is the struggle of a creative life in concert with parenting and work. Just when I feel like I’m getting some semblance of “balance,” it’s thrown out the window, down the garbage cute, at least temporarily.

Just as my son was able to go back to playing in the park (his job:) and following his joy, I want to meet whatever moment arises, adjust as needed and always remember what I can learn from it while allowing more play to filter into my life as sunrays shooting through clearing clouds.

Journaling Prompts

-Write about a time you metaphorically (or actually) fell. Include sensory details. What happened? How did you feel? What happened directly after and in the days, months or years after, if applicable. What helped you get up?

After your write, read over what you wrote and write a reflection, beginning with one of the following sentence starters (answer all that speak to you).

As I read this, I feel…I’m curious about…I’m surprised by…my questions are. One thing I learned is. Include any insights that could help you with a current challenging situation.

-Caregivers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and on:

Write about a discovery your child made or a first experience. How did your child react initially and a little while after the new experience or discovery? What did you do, if anything, to help your child or let the experience further sink in? How was it for you to witness and guide your child through this discovery/experience?

After your write, read over what you wrote and write a reflection, beginning with one of these sentence starters (in italics). Feel free to answer any that feel relevant to you.

As I read this, I notice…am aware of…curious about…I feel…one thing I learned is.

-If you want to explore your current pacing in life:

Write about how you move through the world now and at what pace. Are you slow like a toddler after a tumble, quick like a teenager running to catch the bus, speeding like you downed five cups of coffee and are late to the morning meeting, something else?

What would it be like to change your pace if you want to? What do you need to do this? What needs to be in place, and who can support you?

Write about how it would feel to change your current pace if that’s what you want. How might this change your life experience?

Read over what you wrote and write a reflection. Begin with any of the sentence starters below, answering any that you feel moved to today.

As I read this, I’m aware of…curious about…surprised by…my questions are…I feel.

-Write about a time in your life you “sat with the unknown.” It may have been a time of transition or maybe it’s a current time of unknown you’re moving through now. What/who helped you sit with this not knowing? If it’s a time from the past, what do you wish you knew then that you know now?

Read over what you wrote and write a reflection, starting with one of the following: As I read this, I’m curious about…aware of…surprised by…I feel…my questions are.

I love reading your thoughts and comments! Please share a part of your write, reflection or anything you can relate to from the post.

Liking, commenting and sharing (restacking) this post helps widen our journaling circle. Let’s share the love and the magic of journaling. I recognize you have A LOT of choices and options. Thanks for being a part of this community:).

Till next time,

Jennifer