Are you thinking: "Man, this Clueless Mama sure is GRAPHIC -- she writes about poop, vomit, and now blood and private body parts!"
Allow me to calm your fears by specifying that I will share the story of the birth of...
the S.M.I.L.E. acronym
... and luckily, there was no blood or birth-related-body areas involved.Back in 2005, when I was organizing a mothering convention, I decided I needed to be able to articulate the purposes of the convention, so that when I asked speakers to come, I could give them a clear vision of how/why/what, etc. The four words that I boiled it down to were Support, Motivation, Education, and Laughter.
Being an unabashed acronym lover, I could "SMELL" the start of an acronym, but it was obviously incomplete -- and a little bit embarrassing. Yes, I confess, as a mother, I do smell. I smell dirty diapers, I smell dinner burning... and I sometimes smell LIKE dirty diapers... but that just was not going to promote the convention in the right way...
So I moved some letters around and realized that if I could just add an I-word, then labor would be over and the acronym would be born! Puuuuuuuushhhhhhhh...
INSPIRATION!
Originally, I thought that "motivation" and "inspiration" were redundant, but a Clifford CD-ROM taught me there is a difference. (Yes, I strive to learn new things in any situation, even while helping my three-year-old play on the computer with his favorite Big Red Dog).
Motivation is about forces (innies or outies) that get us to ACT, to DO something that needs to be DONE.
Inspiration is about wanting to improve and enjoy what we already are doing.
I can be motivated to do the laundry because it's neither comfortable nor socially acceptable to be naked (oh, no, another questionable graphic)... but I can be inspired to do the laundry because I love the smell of my fabric softener or because seeing my children in stain-free clothing is a feeling of triumph!
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Do you see the difference? Being inspired puts a touch of glory into your duty. (Don't tell my daughters that I just used the word "duty" -- the Wreck-It Ralph movie has forever made that a potty word... and my apologies to those of you who have not yet been affected!)
Reader friend, can I ask you about cooking? What motivates you to get it done, and what inspires you to do it well?
Motivation for cooking comes from a growling tummy or needing to use up leftovers in the fridge. I do enjoy cooking and trying new recipes (yes, I have tried many recipes out that I found on pinterest and most of them turned out well...a few were flops, but that's part of the experimenting). Part of the inspiration for me I guess comes from the enjoyment factor of creating something good to eat and watching my little one chow it down and beg for more (and he doesn't realize there's spinach in it). :D
ReplyDeleteOoooh, nice comment, Tina Beana -- both an "innie" (the growling tummy) and an "outie" (the leftovers in the fridge!) motivation! And I like the concept of "getting away" with feeding the children healthy food in stealthy form! That would add to my sense of satisfaction as well!
ReplyDeleteRegan--I was so happy to get your message and so pleased to see you are reaching out through your blog. You have SO much wisdom to share and we know we can't get enough inspiration for mothering and families. Way to go! I put your URL on my Facebook page. I have a blog around family dinner time (www.dinnerour.com) and would love to have you guest write for us and I'll include your link. I'm still learning how to do this techie stuff--so share your tips. My best, Alice Osborne
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting my blog, Alice! I hope everyone goes to visit yours, too. I think it's great that you've got a specific way to bless moms' lives. SOOOO much of our time is spent in the kitchen...
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