Dear Daughters...

I write this letter to you, my two daughters, hoping to set you loose from the grip of trying to do it all. One of you has finished a bachelor's degree and one of you is getting close. Both of you are struggling with the next steps. Big steps, high steps, fast steps. Overachievers, both of you. I wonder where you learned this? Let me set you free from any expectations that you may carry deep in your souls. Yes, I appeared to have set the bar incredibly high for you. I worked and worked, adding degrees and experiences while, I think, mothering you with powerful love and support. But I also lost so much precious time to just "be". I spent too much time adding additional tasks and responsibilities to my own list, somehow thinking that the world would stay safe if I just worked hard enough. Don't fall for the enticement of filling every minute of every day with another step towards....what? Read this carefully, take what you want and need and feel powerful to reject anything else. Save time for yourself. Give those you love the gift of time. Listen carefully to yourself. Do work that is honest and important to your life but adds some small benefit to the world or others. I can tell you that there are more important things in life than your job or your title. You both knew that at one time but it gets harder to remember as everyone around you seems to be scrambling for the top. It is okay to let go of the expectations that you think others have for you. Be happy. Be secure. Stay kind and sometimes small and silent, listening to your own trustworthy voice. Love. Mom