I always have such big expectations for Mother’s Day, each and every year. As someone who is very much a people pleaser and simply likes spending quality time with those I love (the “it doesn’t matter what we’re doing as long as we’re together” mantra), I view Mother’s Day and my birthday, as the two days a year that are most definitely, positively, self-centeredly, ALL ABOUT ME!

Here was my plan for Mother’s Day this year: Wake up early and do my three-minute meditation, journal, have a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, and head out to a new hiking area I’ve wanted to check out for months. Hike with my family (husband, two kids and the dog) all morning so we can explore and get lots of exercise. On the way home, run by Starbucks for some brunch food, and the grocery store for some movie snacks. Rest and relax while watching a family friendly movie and eating treats. Grill out, eat my husband’s famous guacamole, then still have extra time to read, relax some more, and go to bed early.

HA, HA! Totally not what happened…

I woke up not so early to my son wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day by half pouncing on me while half hugging me at the same time. I read the sweet cards and opened my sweet gifts from my family. Then had a not so healthy breakfast of sausage and eggs with a side of dark chocolate mint candy to go with my coffee. Then there was the Naked and Afraid marathon on TV that my family got sucked into (my thoughts- How is this a show? How is this a show with enough seasons to have a marathon? Why is there a Naked and Afraid marathon on TV on Mother’s Day? I have a very hard time believing other moms are really watching this show!). So, I do the dishes and start a load of laundry (I KNOW!) and then do my three-minute meditation and journaling (with the sounds of the show coming through the walls. Definitely not how I imagined this part of my day).

Finally, one of the shows is over and we load up the kids and the dog and head to the hiking trail (about 30 minutes from Flower Mound, Texas), which, come to find out, DOES NOT ALLOW DOGS! We’re sent around to the other side of the lake, which does allow dogs, but neither of us has the cash to cover the entrance fee (I thought credit cards were accepted everywhere in this day and age), and come to find out, neither of us brought a debit card either!

So, we head back home! And on the way, my husband turns to me and asks what I’d like to do. Here’s the thing, on any other day I probably would have answered this question differently, but it was Mother’s Day after all, so I said I wanted to drop the dog off at home, grab some cash, and try again.

And so we did…

Take Two at the hiking trail was much hotter and much more humid than Take One, so we took some nice Facebook and Instagram worthy pictures by the river, went on a short hike in the shaded “woods,” and left.

By now it’s lunchtime so we make a quick stop at Chipotle and then stop at the grocery store to buy movie snacks, which also meant haircuts for the boys because “it’s right next door!” Played phone tag with my mom while we waited for the guys, and finally made it home for my chosen movie, The Glass Castle based on one of my favorite books by Jeannette Walls, about an emotionally connected yet very dysfunctional family. The kids quickly ate their candy and left, which was good since it wasn’t as family friendly as we were lead to believe, and my husband kept me company while trying not to fall asleep. I watched, but wished I had picked a movie we all would have loved, instead of one just for me; one that fit with my love of seeing books come to life.

After the disaster that was “family movie time,” I finally wished my mom a Happy Mother’s Day, and ended up on social media to see all the other perfectly imperfect Mother’s Day pictures (which on the surface did look pretty perfect, but now I know better!). Then saw a Therapist Facebook group feed about liking each other’s business pages. It was kind of brilliant to put it out on Mother’s Day, either the moderator knew there would be lots of therapist moms on social media that day, or she knew we’d need a break from our perfect mom day, but either way, I was happy to be on there for a few minutes too. (Here’s a shameless plug to follow me on my business social media pages on Facebook and Instagram).

After that, we ate dinner (left overs since we had grilled the night before), there was more Naked and Afraid watching (no, I still wasn’t interested), reading, guided meditation and bed!

So, was it a perfect day the way I had planned it out in my mind ahead of time? No! Did I have fun with my family exploring some place new (once we got there sans dog) and making new memories, especially ones we can laugh about later? Absolutely!

But, even bigger for me was being a bit selfish and self-centered and definitive in my decision making. It reminded me as a mom that yes, it’s important to make decisions as a family together, but it’s also important to do some of the things that I want to do too, the things that truly matter to me.

So, when looking at what truly matters in your life at this moment in time, what is stopping you from taking action/taking the next step and doing what you need to do to live your best life now? Choose one thing, and start today!