This blog post has been on my mind for a few weeks now. While it’s not literacy related, I hope you will enjoy it.
Several years ago shortly after President Obama took office, I remember reading an article about a dinnertime family tradition the Obamas had called Roses and Thorns. I never forgot it and made a mental note to have that same tradition with my family some day. We still haven’t put it into practice yet since my children are still young, but I’m going to introduce it to my husband so him and I can get into the habit of doing it. Then the kids will eventually be included as they get older. Our family will adopt the ‘Roses, Buds, and Thorns’ tradition rather than just ‘Roses and Thorns’. Let me explain.
So, what is Roses, Buds, and Thorns?
This family activity works great around the dinner table or as part of your bedtime routine. Each member of the family takes turns describing their Roses, Thorns, and Buds. Roses are the best part of your day. Thorns are the worst part of your day, and Buds are what you are looking forward to tomorrow.
Lately, life has been pretty hectic for me and I’ve been feeling like I’ve been experiencing more thorns than roses. Between juggling projects at work, traveling, dealing with the kids, house work, blogging, and everything else that I manage to do, sometimes it all seems like too much. But then when I look back in my gratitude journal it reminds me that life isn’t all roses or all thorns. We all need a little bit of both thrown in with some buds to keep us inspired and motivated.
I find that sometimes it’s hard to share our struggles (thorns) as none of us wants to be seen as weak or needy. Likewise, it can be difficult to say our wins (roses) out loud, too, for fear we seem boastful or even shallow. But sharing those things, the ones that lodge in our throats and live in the center of our hearts? That is how we truly build trust, relationships and community.
In an effort to be more transparent, today I thought we could share a little bit of ourselves here in this place. I’ll start with my roses, buds and thorns, then you are free to share yours in the comments. Sound good?
Roses: My daughter will be celebrating her 3rd birthday soon. The kids are excited about starting preschool and pre-K3 in September. This blog that started out as a space for me to keep track of the books I read to the kids has turned into much more than I expected (in a good way). I met a new local mom friend! We planned our first family vacation where all four of us will be traveling. I’m teaching myself a new language.
Thorns: I sometimes struggle with balancing my time and priorities since I work from home. I get so caught up in work that I sometimes forget to take a break to eat or walk away from the computer to clear my head. Lately, I’ve been dealing with different issues related to work projects putting in extra hours. As a result, I’ve been falling behind on house work and blog posts I wanted to write over the past few weeks.
Buds: Hoping to see my sister and some other family members in the coming months. Finally wrapping up this work project in production. Start making money from blogging online. Potty training my son. Finish writing my book. Pray more, worry and stress less.
Your turn: What do the roses, buds and thorns in your life look like? Where are you winning? Where are you struggling? What things are you hoping for or looking forward to?
