Muddy Kids and the I Don't Give a F*ck Life

Live intentionally and authentically

I was driving to pick up the kids from their after school program when I passed a pack of kids leaving football practice. Muddy. Head to toe. Water dripping down their faces, cleats caked, jerseys ruined, absolutely demolished jerseys.

And they did not care. Not in the slightest...

They were laughing, chatting, walking like they'd just won the Super Bowl. Nobody was wiping their face. Nobody was wondering what the parents in the pickup line thought.

I laughed the rest of the way there, because how authentically awesome are kids?

And then it hit me. I haven't done a puddle hunt in a really long time.

So let's go do this.

I grabbed my middle two and we hit the street. We sang the song. We jumped in every puddle we could find. (Honestly harder than you'd think in our neighborhood.) But, we found a gravel road and the best puddles! They were a little nervous at first... and then they just dove right in.

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Jumping, splashing, playing, laughing.

They came back dirty head to toe, dumping water out of their boots. Then showers, supper, and one of the best evenings we've had in a while.

It's the kind of mom I want to be always... and it's the kind that's sometimes hard to slow down and be.

Watching them also made me think about a conversation I've been having with a very dear friend over the last couple of days. People were out walking and driving by and I'm 100% sure they heard us if they didn't see us. Ha! Some maybe laughed, some maybe thought "wow, she's brave" and some maybe "I can't believe that...scoff!" But anyways, it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks, because they're not living your life. You are. You get to decide what's right for you and what's not.

Somewhere along the way, that got dubbed the "I don't give a f*ck life". I mean it's kinda catchy and fun to say.

So, here's my take... it's not about not caring. It's about getting so comfortable with yourself that you remember it's not about you 99% of the time. When someone judges or projects, it's usually about them and something going on in their life. I tell Rori this all the time, "It's not about you." And I mean that in the most loving way. Sometimes it's easier for people to put it on you than to deal with their own sh*t.

I'm a firm believer that we deal with the stuff we have and the things we can control... and let the outside noise dissipate.

It's taken me a really long time to figure that out. And I'm so fortunate to have amazing people in my life who feel this way too. It's honestly so refreshing.

Little kids somewhat already know how to do this. (Again, authentically awesome!) They don't answer to anyone when they're having fun. They don't clean up before they're done. They just live in the moment. I'm secretly envious of this at times.

So anyway, get muddy. Laugh loud. Be grateful and let the outside noise fade.